Posted by Joshua on Monday, July 18th, 2011

The Syrian uprising has been marked by a growing number of killings in the last week, as armed civilian groups have fought each other. According to Syrian authorities and Facebook websites, such as the Hama News Network, Hama is peacefully coming back under government control; whereas, Bu Kamal on the Iraqi border has fallen out of government control. In Homs, Syria’s third largest city, civilian groups (Alawis versus Sunnis, according to one account) attacked each other causing some 30 deaths. Both sides remain confident of their ability to control the eventual outcome of the uprising. Qatana has also been troubled by inter-communal fighting.

“More than 30 civilians have been killed over the past 24 hours in Homs in clashes that broke out late on Saturday between the opposition and supporters of the regime,” said Rami Abdel Rahman of the London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

He said the clashes in the city 160 kilometres (100 miles) north of the capital came after three regime supporters kidnapped last week were killed and their dismembered bodies were returned to their relatives on Saturday.

“These clashes are a dangerous development that undermines the revolution and serves the interests of its enemies who want it to turn into a civil war,” he added. “The two sides started out beating each other with sticks, but then firearms were used.”

Abdel Rahman said a large number of the dead were killed by gunmen lying in ambush, and that security forces did not intervene. “Their duty is to maintain national security and protect citizens, not stand idly by when faced with clashes, as this can encourage even more violence,” he charged.

A witness who spoke to AFP in Cyprus said the clashes were between Sunni Muslims and Alawites, Assad’s sect, and that they occurred overnight in the Hadara and Al-Zahara districts of Homs. Earlier Abdel Karim Rihawi, who heads the Syrian League for the Defence of Human Rights, reported the army moving in to Homs after clashes on Saturday.

Here are two contradictory reports about Homs from readers:

Louai writes:

Just finished a phone call with my family in Homs, which was like Beirut yesterday. The news from Syria-news were correct. Three young men (Alawites) kidnapped tortured and killed , they were organising rallys in support of the announced reforms, my brother knows all of them , the rally now cancelled.

The army stopped a angry crowds of entering Bab el dreeb and prevented a lot of killings.

my friend’s old brother got shot in his way back home his name Kifah el set ( a Christian from Al Hafar village) he is badly injured but thanks god still alive. Another Christian from Al Nuzha ( Gaiath al turk ) from Kafrram village was shot in his leg, he was taking to the local medical centre just to get kidnapped from inside the medical centre few hours later and get killed, his uncle was my teacher! His furnal is tomorrow.

People are scared to go out. The army only entered Alawite neighbourhoods to protect them, the Christian neighbourhood is not protected and the thugs are still free. That’s Homs for you !

Aboud writes:

Here is what really happened. The shabiha scum were given a pretext to rampage through Homs, under the protection of the “security forces” (oxymoron there). They smashed Sunni owned businesses in Al-Hadara street (I’ve linked the video previously). The Homsis mobilized themselves, and got together to protect their neighborhoods. After a brief confrontation in Damascus road, which went badly for the shabiha scum, they crawled back to the holes they came out from.

In Bukamal, SANA, a government source, reported on Sunday that “terrorist gangs” stormed a government building and seized the weapons stored there, adding that three security personnel were killed and two kidnapped in the attack. The situation there is “explosive” according to Al-Watan, and “the army is preparing to intervene … because the authorities fear an armed revolt in this border town where (insurgents) can easily find logistical and political support,” it said.

shukumaku.com reports that about 200 armed men stormed the Regional Administration Department and seized control of it, including all weapons. They burned the civil affairs office, the court, the police post and the resident house of the Regional administrator, in Al Bukamal.

Opposition sources claim that scores of military security personnel have defected and are guarding civilians in Bu Kamal. They suggest this means that the power of the regime is breaking apart at the fringes.

The Guardian quotes Reuters in explaining that in Bukamal, a day after security shot five protesters, the town light up in protest.

Residents said around 100 Air Force Intelligence personnel and the crew of at least four armoured vehicles joined the protesters.

“The protesters returned several army personnel carriers today as a sign of good will. The regime knows it will meet tough resistance if it attacks Albu Kamal, and that Iraqi tribes on the other side of the border will rush to help their brethren,” said one activist in the region, who declined to be named for fear of arrest.

Another activist said: “The whole of Albu Kamal went to the streets after the killings. Several armoured personnel carriers moved into the centre of the town to stop them, but ended joining sides with the human wave.”

Qatana: I received this report from a reader:

Dear Joshua and friends I report this for you from my brother in Qatana (SW of Damascus):

The city is now under protection of the army after clashes erupted between Druze and Sunni salafists. After the Druze community held a pro-government demonstrations in the city, they were attacked by Sunnis salafists with batons and arms. 3 Druze died in the clashes. The next day the Druze answered back and attacked Sunnis in the city, many were injured and probably some where killed. Yesterday, the hardcore Sunnis proclaimed Qatana an Islamic city and their leader was showing off riding on his horse in the city after more clashes erupted with the Druze community… There is a siege going on and arms are being looked after. Christians in the city fear the worse…God bless our country

Qatana residents prevented another pro-regime demo that started from the baath building after AdduniaTV came and started saying that Qatanis are supporting Bashar(they are outsiders),and beat the crap out of 5 ,no death.

one of the beaten up turned up to be a Druze shekh-Akl in 3arneh (a smuggling border town in the mountains), he ran to his town and brought a lot of people armed with handguns and AK47 to Qatana, the Masaken guys and Security saw that and joined the 3arneh guys, and they started shooting randomly killing a lot including an infant.

now there is about 30 tank surrounding the town.

there was no Islamic emirate or a amir on a horse ,that is laughable and rediculous , a lot of Qatanis are Nazhine from Golan, and they are not really that religious.

What happened is good for no one, and all made mistakes but the goverment is supporting one side over the other and that is 1000 wrong.

In Hama, Al-Watan said the “situation was back to normal” in the central city of Hama, the epicenter of anti-government protests in recent weeks where perhaps as many as a 100,000 had taken part in demonstrations two Fridays ago and where the US and French ambassadors had traveled to show their support for the uprising. The city fell out of government control when the governor withdrew security forces, permitting peaceful protests. He was fired and a new governor has since been appointed. There was fear that the military would shoot its way back into the city. “The efforts the new governor of Hama has made with civic leaders have borne fruit. The state of civil disobedience which lasted 13 days is over,” Al-Watan said. “With the help of residents, officials have started to remove the roadblocks erected on major thoroughfares,” it added. Stores have begun to open again in the market areas and urban transport has resumed regular routes.

In Damascus, the government organized a large firework display and festival at Ummayad Square at which the crowds chanted that the “people want Bashar al-Assad.” The coverage shown by ad-Dunia TV reveals the tone of the local press coverage. One commentator rails against the US ambassador and demonstrators of Hama, while the second is respectful and glowing about the Syrian people and the need for national unity and the ability of Syrians to express their differences without violence and demonstrations. (I at first added the wrong video. I have changed it for the correct one.)

Since the protests began on March 15, 1,419 civilians and 352 members of the security forces have died, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Thousands more people have been arrested.

A number of sources report that Kurds have withdrawn from the National Salvation Congress in Istanbul, including GemyaKurds.netand Kurdish Youth Revolution – Soresa Ciwanên Kurd. The Kurdish Youth of the Revolution are very disappointed, because it was their hope and endeavour to be partners in nation-building and associates in the conference bringing everyone together as Syrians:

There was no seat for a representative of the Kurds in the Preparatory Committee of the Conference.

The conference is working under the name of the Syrian Arab Republic, which denies the existence of the Kurds and diverse others in Syria.

A statement by the Kurdish parties is to be issued later.

A number of credible opposition figures have attacked the conference’s promotion of a shadow government, they include: Burhan Galioum, Louai Hussain and Fayez Sara.

Secretary of State Clinton, while in Turkey, made no effort to meet with the Syrian opposition there, despite hopes expressed before the conference by some opposition figures that she would. Instead, she offered only lukewarm support for the Syrian gathering and made it clear that the United States hopes the protest movement will engage in dialogue with the Syrian government, something most opposition groups reject. She announced in Turkey

Today she criticized Turkey’s arrest of journalists and restrictions on Internet freedom. Authorities there have jailed reporters and columnists in recent months under antiterror laws. A government proposal set for August would filter the Internet that could allow monitoring of household Web use. Speaking on CNN’s Turkish language channel today, Clinton said that while the countries differ on how to get things done, the U.S. and Turkey “share this strategic vision about where we would like to see the world go.”

the opposition could overthrow Assad’s regime. “What is required of the international community and Arab countries is to withdraw support from this regime, which has lost its legitimacy, and to boycott it on both the international and diplomatic levels,” he said today on Al Jazeera television.

The Syrian government “has become a criminal against its own people,” said al-Bayayuni, according to a transcript published by the BBC Mideast service.

Tens of thousands of Syrians took to the streets to protest yesterday. At least 32 demonstrators were killed around the country, including about 20 in the capital, Damascus, Al Jazeera reported. Activists report that five have been killed today.

Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu, the head of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, or OIC, believes that the transition in the Middle East and North Africa ‘will take a long time and will be painful. ‘I never called this process an ‘Arab Spring’ – because spring is just one season, and we will see the summer and winter,’ says the top diplomat

…..Q: How do you see the situation in Syria?

A: I have a friendship with Syrian officials dating back many years. Even at the times when relations between Turkey and Syria were at their worst, I always believed the day would come when they would be the closest countries. This is dictated by the geographical realities, by history, by sociology. When I first met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in 2004, I came to know him as someone open to the world, open to change. Until I became secretary-general, Syria was not active in the OIC. But we organized two ministerial meetings in Syria. So within the framework of this relationship, we could talk with unprecedented honesty, giving the message that the world is changing and that Syria need to change.

Q: Has al-Assad disappointed you?

A: Unfortunately Syria has not acted with the speed one would have expected. There was not enough progress ahead of the demonstrations that took place. But the national dialogue process that started recently is a very important step. We hope this trend will continue……

The monastery at Mar Musa has published a letter about its current personal financial struggle – due to paralysis of tourism in Syria, and a plea for support. It is also interesting and informative about the way in which one monastery sees the problems and has human interest. Deir Mar Musa has played an leading role in promoting inter-faith dialogue and in trying to introduce Christians to the notion that the Muhammad was a prophet and the Koran a revealed book.

Comments (322)

God protect Homs, Syria, and good Syrian people. The looting of shops is a repeat of 30 years ago. Expect them to confiscate closed stores next, break them open, and place Alawis into them. That’s what Assad’s father did.

If Assad were sincere, this would not be happening. The people on the streets made reasonable requests for a very long time, and the response understandably made them angry. A shadow government is a good idea now, but needs careful planning and everyone’s support.

Isn’t it clear that by saying even this, my life is in danger in Syria? This regime needs to end. Enough is enough. My patience is broken.

You seem to have left out part of what Louai wrote in comment #104 (previous post). The part that was left out was “till last night. I’ve copied the paragraph for you.

“people are scared to go out the army only entered Alawite neighbourhoods to protect them , the Christian neighbourhood was not protected till last night but the thugs are still free
that’s Homs for you !”

It’s important not to leave that particular part out, as it would make it seem as though the government is not interested in protecting Christian neighbourhoods.

@3 Professor Landis left out alot of things that I’d have liked to see, but it is his privilege to judge what is or isn’t relevant, as it is his privilege to keep posting regime videos without critical analysis. But I think people can be trusted to see them for the crude propaganda material they are 🙂

Homs is not a war zone. Life goes on in Homs as always, with the exception of the people who started it all.

There is another video of Ar’our on Wisal tv following the one linked by Dr. Landis. He is advising the protesters to push on no matter what (as usual), while watching I actually thought he was having a heart attack, but then noticed it was just a show of fake emotion. Damn it.

An email sent to the French embassy in Australia by a Syrian Australian, has come to my attention. I’ve copied some of the contents of the letter.

“Good evening our French friends,

I would like to offer myself as an Arabic speaker, to translate to you and your government what 22 MILLION Syrian people that support H.E Bashar Al-assad are saying.

I do understand that Syrian dialect may be difficult for some to understand, so my guess is that your translators are relaying information incorrectly. I am sure that an apology from your President to the Syrian people and its Leader regarding your misunderstanding will be accepted, due to Syria and it’s people being accustomed to hostile French policies over the years.

One of the slogans that I am hearing on a daily basis, one that Syrians in Syria and those all over the world have been chanting is “Allah, Syria, Bashar, and PERIOD! I believe that would mean that Syrians support their President. So, in light of the support Syrians have for their leader, I believe that your government should thoroughly examine and make swift changes in your policy toward Syria and its people.

Thank you for taking time to read this email, however if you would like to take up my offer in translating what the Syrians are saying, do not hesitate to ask, I would be more than happy to assist.”

I wonder how many people have actually thought about what the so called opposition has in plan for Syria after it topples the existing government?

The Istanbul opposition (if I can call it that) has now called for continued civil disobedience in order to topple the government. This grouping of the opposition is itself divided. What gives any group the right to undertake a cycle of civil disobedience to achieve a political goal (which, we apparently still do not know what it is)? It is now accepted that there is chaos in Syria, and it is not all attributable to the government. This is hardly surprising as so many groups have different agendas here. Further, the call for disobedience is not a call for meaningful change. I am not aware of a system where an aggrieved person has the right to incite and further a plan of civil disobedience – let’s not set precedents. Further, why is it assumed that the majority want the toppling of government and systems? The reluctance to form a shadow government and the call for disobedience is a blow for the Istanbul opposition, but also reflects on its inadequacy as an alternative (whether we like it or not).

Their call for democracy is valid, but the notion that democracy will appear after an immediate toppling of the government is absurd – it hasn’t happened anywhere without affecting non political rights, including the situation of minorities. Syrians were repressed politically only prior to these protests and riots. How sad it will be to simply effect a swap of rights – provide political rights, but take away any possibility of creating a livelihood, live in fear of attack (esp minorities) etc.

Whilst the protesting Syrians are not a majority on all accounts, they are a significant proportion of the population. Whatever their motivations are, they have created a critical point in Syria. Further, it is clear that given that there is now internal dialogue (it doesn’t matter that it is said that the opposition taking part there is handpicked, they are nonetheless an otherwise voiceless internal opposition) many supporters of the president are also supporters of reform (that will see the demise of Baath political dominance) by way of dialogue. So there is huge support for reform (in fact the regime is playing the politics game well, as by doing this, they effectively stop other Syrians from joining the ouster-the-president camp). Non-recognition of this group is unhelpful.

The fact of the matter is that Syria does not have institutions that can support a multi-party system with a possible change of government every3-4 years. This needs to be addressed, and it doesn’t seem that it is being addressed. It is said that people are fearful to express opinion – this is difficult to now fathom in light of those protesting (not protesting for general reform, but the ousting of Assad, and the political system entirely).

Now, there are reports of sectarian armed groups in Homs fighting (and indeed killing each other) – more blood, and sadly a reflection of sorts of Syrian mentality when push comes to shove.

The sooner it is accepted that these protests have achieved the best that they can achieve politically – essentially putting the government in an extremely difficult position – and that it is now time to bring the government to account in terms of its reform promises, in terms of creating and building institutions such as rule of law, independent judiciary etc the better.

As for the Kurds who have withdrawn from the Istanbul conference – to the extent that they, or other groups, call for the creation f autonomy regions or separate states within Syria is not acceptable. There are far too many sects/groups within Syria, and the Middle East generally to satisfy these sorts of demands. This will unnecessarily weaken the Syrian state. This should be about rights for Syrians, whatever there background.

Sayu, I hope you realize that if I to choose between Aroor asking to kill alawites and Bashar killing dissidents, I would choose Bashar. There is in my mind no worse crime than hate crimes. However, I think it does not have to be that way. There is no reason that we all can not live together. Both sides can not assume tough stand and forget the grievance of each other. Each one of us must reflect and self examine his/ her attitude for the better of Syria. I think this would be the only solution out.

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. I would like to address a few if I may.

“I am not aware of a system where an aggrieved person has the right to incite and further a plan of civil disobedience – let’s not set precedents.”

The government has a responsibility to address grievances. Try this in any other country and you will see people of whichever skin color up in arms. This is universal.

Let’s not compare Syria to a mature democracy. You are right that the institutions are not currently in place. If I may, I’d like to propose that the founders of the United States had bad government in mind, when they placed in the US Constitution the right to bear arms. They knew that leaders have a natural tendency to become authoritarian, and felt that an armed public would always counter that trend.

I am, by the way, against guns, but I understand that things were different in the past.

There is a universal precedent for disobedience to a government that does not properly account for people’s grievances against. Nobody is setting a new precedent.

“Further, why is it assumed that the majority want the toppling of government and systems?”

The majority want change for the better. It is obviously preferable for the current government to lead.

“Syrians were repressed politically only prior to these protests and riots.”

Sorry, but that is untrue. Syrians have many grievances, many stemming from massive corruption and the flagrant unaccountability of Syria’s security services. It is wrong to suggest that this is political.

“It is said that people are fearful to express opinion – this is difficult to now fathom in light of those protesting (not protesting for general reform, but the ousting of Assad, and the political system entirely).”

It may be difficult for you to fathom, but it’s true. Go to any ruthless police state, watch protesters get shot at and beaten up, abused and tortured ruthlessly, and see what happens. Syrians are very afraid. The current events bring back horrid memories of daily life in the 80s and 90s. They cannot fight the abuse, and it terrifies them.

Go to another highly nationalistic country and watch what happens when people become raging mad ad the deaths around them. After this much torturing of the nation by the regime, I’m proud that most people remained peaceful. I am not proud of what things are coming to.

You forgot to ask if you are a Wahibist. But mr ponytail, i think you actually did.

Amnesia,

Ok. Change your tone. Be outraged at the regime and its supporters. No one gives a crap. But how is it, that you revolutionaries express your hate toward Bashar and the regime but when it is clear in your God damn bloody face, that some of your lot have murdered and desmembered innocent people, that you turn the other cheak?? You do not give a rats ass. Well 3ayne, im sure your right. Lets let Bashar leave. Then the rest of the non rev supporters wll be scattered accross the country. Be sure not to trip on a leg, or an arm.

Enough is enough, as you said. So stop the bull shit. You say that heaps of anti-Bashar people fear imprisonment or worse if they speak up. Honey, then why are there revolutionaries in the first place? And there are a number of Alawis who oppose the regime. Those who dont speak out of fear are deluded and clearly have their heads screwed on the wrong way. Becauuse if you feel repressed you would do anything to change that.

Bashar is ready for change. But the malicious and vile acts of the revolution are making things harder. Dont waste your breath. We all know the vileness oc the rev.

I said it a while ago. There is definitely heated debate within the regime now. If the VP was sincere about what he said a week ago, if he was sincere, he is having trouble getting it past the old guard or passed Bashar himself. I don’t think he’s an idiot. He must know what’s needed. Maybe there is an argument about Maher.

It’s been four months. Don’t get your hopes up. It hurts to have them shattered. Support those working hard for an alternative.

I fully support the peaceful demonstrators against the regime. Sharaa has been part of the regime for many years. If he wasn’t, then he could’ve retired peacefully. Replacing alawi thug with Sunni thug does not do it for me. He could have been a passive accomplice but he remains an accomplice. We do not want to wake up to a new reality we never expected and we should just be careful.

For almost four months now, we have been hearing from ‘revolutionists’ that there are cracks in the regime, infighting, arguments, defections etc. This is called psychological warfare. People do not fall for such silly rumours, so stop wasting your breath, or tiring your fingers by typing such utter nonsense.

The government is strong; Bashar is strong and will hold the country together. The pillars are standing and will continue to stand. Stop deluding yourself. And yes, enough is definitely enough, call back your violent ‘peaceful protesters’, enough of the sectarianism and killings in Syria.

“The government is strong; Bashar is strong and will hold the country together.”

He always has the choice, but at this point, one way or another, he will have to step down eventually. He has a choice of how and when to do so.

“The pillars are standing and will continue to stand. Stop deluding yourself.”

I’m afraid Bashar is delusional. For him to speak on and on in the way he has, the few times he has, makes me think he is delusional. That’s my greatest fear. A delusional leader is a lot more dangerous than just a greedy one.

I forgot to ask what? Sorry, I’m having trouble deciphering the bad English I keep seeing here. So I’ll try to figure out your probably meaning;

Did I ask if I was a Wahibist? What’s a Wahibist, is that a new enemy that Bashar discovered? Or do you mean Wahabi? No, I’m not a Wahabi, I think there are like 3 or 4 Wahabis in Syria. Maybe 5 on a bad day.

“But mr ponytail, i think you actually did.”

Well geesh, I can’t make heads nor pony-tails of your sentence, so for all I know maybe I did.

Yes, he keeps changing security chiefs. He keeps changing the enemy of the week.

Najati Tayara, Ali Abdullah, the intellectuals who demonstrated in Damascus…are they all “Wahibis”? I must have mentioned Najati Tayar a dozen times now, but not one of the Baathist sycophants has even dared tackle the outrageous case of his imprisonment. Cowardice in every meaning of the word.

“No actually, it’s been so long since I heard that here in Homs LOL! ”
“Esqot nezam Bashar Al-Athad hehehe”

it’s kind of turning into (7ewar 6rshan) if we can call it (7ewar) at all

this statement catched my eyes
“I think there are like 3 or 4 Wahabis in Syria. Maybe 5 on a bad day.” are you joking? maybe you haven’t noticed any long bearded guys wearing short trousers (above the ankle) also, I’m not sure about Homs but I know for sure they do exist in Damascus and Aleppo suburbs

“Careful now Abu umar, your colours, along with the revolutions colours are seeping through. Your threat, as vile as it is, I have to say is just as worthless as this ‘revolution’.”

Of course, the Nusayris aren’t sectarian when they’ve slaughtered tens of thousands of Sunnis in Syria(Hama, Tadmur) and Lebanon, If the Shi’ites in Iraq, who rode in on American tanks and are allies of the current Syrian regime(so much for the nonsense of mumaana), can claim to rule Iraq because they are the majority and were brutalised by Saddam without being accused of sectarianism, then the same applies to the Sunnis in Syria and I strongly doubt that those protesting will approve of any pro-American government or peace with the Zionist regime. And why is my threat vile when there have been similar directed against the protestors by the likes of souri666 and Syrian Haywano and it was directed at those Alawis who are involved in crimes against the Sunnis, not the layman Alawi. The Sunnis are going to take over in Syria and even the pro-regime Sunnis will turn against it, whether you like it or not. I admit I am a Sunni sectarian, and want the Sunnis in power to what Shi’ites are claiming in Iraq and Bahrain and if the minorities don’t like it, they can leave or join the frontlines of the shabiha in preventing the inevitable.

Also I am curious, are the pro-Alawi regime types going to accuse Ali ibn Abi Talib of being a “Wahabi” because he executed those who deified him(not that I am calling for this)?

“What happened to the ‘peace’ you used to sign off with? Have you finally realised the revolution is not the peaceful flower try to pass it off as?”

This coming from a regime that killed tens of thousands of Sunnis. The same Zionist mentality: iqtul al-qateel wa imshi bi-janazatu as they say in Shami dialect as the Syrian regime did with Kamal Jumblat. We won’t go to our graves like sheep, and there will be resistance to the shabiha scum who worship the phony Bashar. Are you going to join the shabiha?

“The Sunnis are going to take over in Syria and even the pro-regime Sunnis will turn against it, whether you like it or not. I admit I am a Sunni sectarian, and want the Sunnis in power to what Shi’ites are claiming in Iraq and Bahrain and if the minorities don’t like it, they can leave or join the frontlines of the shabiha in preventing the inevitable. ”

Great Abu Umar, just great

that’s what I was talking about, the great “revolution” became a lot like Noah arch and everyone’s is denying other groups do exist just to “enlarge” the protesets for the cameras

The use of arms by Asad troops, security forces, and paramilitias was not only justified by the regime but has also been required to proove their allegiance.
– Wa2dulfitnah is a national, ethical, and religeous duty.
– Al Fitnah is worse than killing (killing is a better evil than fitnah).
Those have been the moto and modus operandi of the regime.
This is the regime’s policy; Kill to stop AlFitnah, as many as and for as long it takes.
Nearly 2000 civilians have been killed and hundreds of armed government agents have been executed for disobeying orders to shoot at civilians.

On the other hand, the rising civilians’ moto is Silmiyeh!
– Their modus operandi is demonstration and chanting for regaining their right of self determinationj in their country.
– Their peaceful discipline and self restraint, in the face of regime brutality and billigerence have been admirable.

However, these peoples’ patience sometimes run thin.
They see their loved ones killed, tortured or disappear without a just recourse in site.

Does anyone know What were these shabbe7a doing in Alwa3r, a Sunni area at tense times like these?
Did they loose their way to Alzahra or Ikrima? I doubt it.
Were they trying to gather intelligence on activists, intimidating residents, or seeking to attack a targetted protestor?
Answers to those questions is central to formulate a logical interpretation of horrible event.

While strictly discouraged and not condoned by the revolution activists, it must be acknowledged that they are sometimes unavoidable.
The regime is counting on a rise in such acts to sell his “sectarian conspiracy fable”.
The revolution is counting on maintaining self restraint in order to achieve a peaceful transition to Asad-free Syria.

“Of course, the Nusayris aren’t sectarian when they’ve slaughtered tens of thousands of Sunnis in Syria”

Well then, of course you 3umarieen extremists are not sectarian when you decapitate and dismember Alawi people. Or when you attack and kill Shias. Or when you attack the Christians. Of course not. That is anything but sectarian. You are not sectarian when a comment is edited for, and i quote “Edited for sectarian comment”. No, not sectarian. You are not sectarian when you have dogs like 3ar3our barking on the side for all Alawis to perish. You are just as cute and sweet as a kitten. You love everyone. You and your likes are anything but vile monsters, who preach that your extremist ways are the right ways.

Dont give us that crap. No one is dumb enough to take it. No one is more sectarian than you extrimists.

I wasn’t suggesting that the government has no responsibility to address grievances. The issue is the call for civil disobedience (which is being used as the means to achieve the goal). No system of government cannot allow civil disobedience for some simple reasons, most notably, civil disobedience impacts on the non-grieving part of the population. This should not be tolerated. We already read that Deir Mar Musa has written an open letter revealing financial strain the chaos is having. No doubt many business are feeling financial strain now, and will continue to do so. This is simply unfair – with rights come obligations, and certainly the right to protest in any democracy is not unfettered right and must be exercised responsibly. The Istanbul opposition will lose favour now and has lost credibility in the eyes of many who may have considered them. Civil disobedience is reckless, selfish and unwarranted – to that extent, the protesters have now given the government reason to stop the protests.

You say that the majority want change. That is probably true. However change is not quite the same as a power vacuum that will result from a toppling of the existing government and system. You say that it is preferable for the current government to lead. I am not sure what the protesters believe will happen if the governments falls, but in any event, it is imperative that the current government lead. The ousting of a government is only justifiable in exceptional circumstances, and the circumstances in Syria are not exceptional. I was making the point that the picture in Syria prior to current incidents is one where there was political repression (I don’t disagree about corruption, and as I indicated, there are other fundamental issues such as independent judiciary etc). Syrians were very much able to pursue meaningful livelihoods in the country, including, and especially minorities – Christians and Druze, for example, do not live in fear of persecution, indeed, play roles in society as much as the Sunni majority, or ruling Alawites. The repression is political – that is, one cannot be outwardly anti-Baath. These circumstances do not justify the toppling of the regime, especially in circumstances where there is no viable alternative at present, there cannot be a viable alternative until more basic reforms are implemented and, if the regime topples, there will be a power vacuum. The opposition is far too diverse (and includes ‘difficult’ groups whose aim is not democracy) for it to be said that the power vacuum will be filled with a system that all Syrians will be comfortable with.

It is unprecedented in Syria that the totalitarian government of the day is prepared to commence a dialogue process in the face of significant protests. The dialogue has clear terms of reference which include the effective demise of Baath party dominance in political life, a multi-party system and other constitutional reform. If this is not supported by the people, then the government will not be held to account to the promises it has made to reform. The people need to hold the government accountable and participate in this process. In terms of the fear that people live in – how is it that one can yell ‘irhal ya bashar’ and the more derogatory ‘tiz feek ya bashar’ but not lobby for reform within the system? I have difficultly reconciling this. However, that there is such force and momentum apparently with the protesters, it is preferable that they take the matter to the next level and move from the street, to meaningful lobbying. The difference between 80 and 90s is that the government is very openly conceded that the demand for reform (as opposed to the demand for ouster) is legitimate, and is facing chaos.

“Did you support Rifaat al-Assad’s attack on Hama? Why is the onus on the protestors to be peaceful when the government is drenched in blood and you can visit their dungeons to find out?”

does condemning the sectarian aspect of the “revolution” automatically mean that I approve what Rifaat done!? what a logic

you don’t replace a damaged part in your car with a damaged part,do you?
unless this “revolution” dust off all the dirty elements of it (hell, just don’t consider it a part of the “revolution” and I’m okay with it) it’ll be only a matter of (7`na2et 7ramieh)

Contrary to what may be running through your mind, I am not affiliated with the regime. I am one of the millions of President Bashar Assad supporters. I do not care for your sectarian language and will not be dragged into your vile sectarianism, whether you admit it or not.

You just keep going down that ugly path of yours, it will end soon, the Syrian government finally announced that they will no longer be tolerant with the masked vandals, armed gangs, and anyone who is not practising peaceful protesting and destroying the countries infrastructure. So call your violent ‘peaceful protesters’ and advise them to prepare for a nice long jail sit in. They need to be prepared psychologically.

And what you and your ilk are not? Don’t accuse me of something you are guilty. I admit I am a Sunni sectarian while many of the lunatic menhebek crowd refuse to admit this of themselves.

“Well then, of course you 3umarieen extremists are not sectarian when you decapitate and dismember Alawi people. Or when you attack and kill Shias. Or when you attack the Christians. Of course not.”

Showing your true Shi’ite colours by attacking Umar just like your Shi’ite brethren in Iraq who declare Umar to be an infidel while smiling and laughing with the Zionist Wolfowitz. Why don’t you be intellectually honest and attack Ali Ibn Abi Talib who executed those who deified him. He must have been an evil “Wahabi”. Secondly, I strongly condemn any of the jihadi groups who target civilians or engage in like actions. That doesn’t mean that the groups you mentioned haven’t committed similar actions.

” That is anything but sectarian. You are not sectarian when a comment is edited for, and i quote “Edited for sectarian comment”. No, not sectarian.”

I am sectarian as I already admitted.

” You are not sectarian when you have dogs like 3ar3our barking on the side for all Alawis to perish. You are just as cute and sweet as a kitten. You love everyone. You and your likes are anything but vile monsters, who preach that your extremist ways are the right ways.”

If Arour is a dog, then what are you and the lunatic menhebek crowd or clowns like Ali Shu’aybi and Talib Ibrahim. You want to kill us and smile at you? I don’t think so and there will be resistance.

“Dont give us that crap. No one is dumb enough to take it. No one is more sectarian than you extrimists.”

No, your sweet and innocent and why don’t those who are calling for secularism hold gay pride parades in Sitt Zaynab, or the Alawi areas. and see what the response will be. You can go preach secularism in your ally Iran and see how fast the mukhabarat there will pounce on you.

“Contrary to what may be running through your mind, I am not affiliated with the regime. I am one of the millions of President Bashar Assad supporters.”

An oxymoron?

” I do not care for your sectarian language and will not be dragged into your vile sectarianism, whether you admit it or not.”

Spare me your hypocrisy and pretending to take the high road. Who said that minorities can’t be sectarian and can’t commit violence.

“You just keep going down that ugly path of yours, it will end soon, the Syrian government finally announced that they will no longer be tolerant with the masked vandals, armed gangs, and anyone who is not practising peaceful protesting and destroying the countris infrastructure. So call your violent ‘peaceful protesters’ and advise them to prepare for a nice long jail sit in. They need to be prepared psychologically.”

Spare me your Dunya TV nonsense. This is like the Bahraini regime’s propaganda against the Shi’ite protestors, even though I don’t sympathise with them. Keep your nonsense to yourself and there is no different than the Zionist propaganda which blames the Palestinians for refusing to become refugees in their own lands. I have bad news for the lunatic menhebek crowd on the demise of the criminal regime as there will be a Sunni Islamic revival as we have seen in Tunisia where Islam was fought more viciously than Syria, so imagine how it will be in Syria. Perish in your rage or join the frontlines of the shabiha as the fall of the Hubal of our time, Bashar is approaching. Did you bow down to Asad today?

ABU UMAR
I have no idea who you are and what you represent, but I am sure you do not represent me. A while ago I wrote this naive post , and I could not find anything more appropriate in my vocabulary to respond to your message, here what i said then, and I will keep saying until the last breath in my insignificant life.

TO: ALL
From SYRIA

When you want to hate a Christian,
just because he is a non
Le me know,
for I am one

when you want to hate an Alawite, A Jew, a Shia, or any one
just because he is a non
let me know,
for i am one

But when you learn to love us all,
I will love you
and I will be you
for I am all
and I am one

“Don’t get dragged into this disgusting exchange with abu umar. Those who follow Ar’our and his vile comments dont deserve the time of day. There role is just to incite hate and division.”

But when Syrian Haywano, Souri666, and other menhebek lunatics call for the massacre of the protestors, thats not disgusting. Don’t accuse me of something you are guilty of. Witness your sarcastic comments on those who going to the Syrian dungeons from torture and killing. I don’t need Ar’oor to know of the crimes of the Asad regime, and I’ve only seen him once on TV.

Also, I’m curious do the menhebek lunatics know that Al-Buti declares Christians infidels on his website in one of his fatawa. Is he sectarian?

Your lame poetry doesn’t change the fact of the actions of the Asad regime. Go recite your poetry in the dungeons of the regime. Go preach your so-called anti-sectarianism to the Iraqi Shi’ites who declare Abu Bakr and Umar infidels while smiling and laughing with the Zionist Wolfowoitz?

By the way menhebek scum, there will be tens of thousands of Salafis in Syria when your regime falls and if you don’t like it, you can packs your bags.

Your choice between Bashar or A’rour says it all.
Now it is Bashar PLUS if the local opposition comes out of its coma, joins the dialog, speaks out, shouts and challenges Bashar!

In view of the turns of the situation into a sectarian revenge that no one wants, I urge the local opposition to wake up from their passive mode and starts the dialog with the government NOW. Don’t let these suspicious conservatives and islamists exiles in Istanbul control the country evolution!

The conditions they are giving are now totally irrelevant as most people want the army to take these violent cities under control to avoid the heinous crimes we are seeing.
Of course Abboud and his bearded friends will say that its is the government that dismembered the alawites to create a pretext to intervene. Stop this nonsense.. this ‘revolution’ has opened a can of worms and now people are begging the ‘regime’ to save the innocents from the barbaric elements that want to create a chaos where they would bloom.
It is no more flowers and memhebak or not, it is the beast in human nature that is coming out. It is time to stop that now in whatever means!

The wall of fear between the government and the Syrians may have fallen, but another one worse because it is wild, lethal and sneaky has grown up between the Syrians.

OTW that is beautiful,unfortunately ther is much more Ubo umers than OTWs,actually so many Ubo umers are willing to kill you,cut you into pieces then burn you because of what you are saying.so many anti-revolutionists are like that because they know that Syria is filled with Ubo umers flys and if you open the carbage can lid you will let them all out.no one wants Bashar for his blue eyes,how can you deal with people like Abu umer?or people like مشعل تموwho showed his respect to his Syrian identity yesterday by declaring the north east as occupied Kurdistan ?Syria name was changed and the Arabic word was removed from the name to make him happy the day befor by Istanbul conference.
PS :abo umer dont respond to this,if you do wear a mask,you have bad breath,and post as far possible from this comment.

The wall between the Syrians was built by the Assad regime as a method of control. It is the Assad regime that needs to break it down. Assad needs to come out and say that most Syrians are not sectarian and that he recognizes the peaceful demonstrators and their grievances. And he has to make a move that proves his sincerity. Either he lays down a plan for free multi party elections in 18 months, frees all political prisoners, let’s the opposition open a newspaper, or accepts Kilo’s conditions. Without a move by the Assad government, nothing will change and the responsibility lies at the feet of the government, not the opposition. The government is the organized entity with the army, the next move is theirs. Again, you make demands of the opposition without making any demands of the regime.

“Of course Abboud and his bearded friends will say that its is the government that dismembered the alawites to create a pretext to intervene. Stop this nonsense.. this ‘revolution’ has opened a can of worms and now people are begging the ‘regime’ to save the innocents from the barbaric elements that want to create a chaos where they would bloom.”

How many tens of thousands has the regime and its allies killed in Lebanon and Syria and how many has the so-called armed elements killed. The mundasseen are barbaric and the regime in Hama or Tadmur or Tripoli or the Palestinian refugee camps or dungeons like Palestine in Dimashq is angelic?!

Thank you for highlighting that ,yes the army entered the Christian areas and people feel more safe now lets hope things will calm down imams and elderly from all sects are working together to put an end to the violence ,lets hope .however I am not waiting for them I already booked a ticket for my brother who will come to join me in here , he always resisted the idea as he has very successful business in Syria but my parents don’t want him to stay there any more at least not in this time he is coming this Wednesday.

All

i will be away for the next few days with my brother but from time to time i will be reading your comments which i value a lot, god bless you

The ‘regime’ has offered dialog, what did the local opposition offered? They: NAH.. we want to see the army and security forces out of cities… What do we see now? sectarian crimes and escalation coming out that no one can stop except the army and the security forces.
Any Bashar’s announcements will do absolutely nothing, the street is far too wild and angry.
The local opposition is letting a unique chance to pass as they allowing these ridiculous exiles in Istambul to hijack the revolution. They bear a large part of the responsibility for the stalemate.
They must join the dialog NOW!

Sectarian conflict is a very dangerous development in Syria. It seems the regime is willing to drag, and indeed sacrifice minorities in it’s conflict with the broader population. By playing on their fears, and using the media to incite anger and violence, they hope to turn a popular uprising into a full scale civil war. This is the extent the regime is willing to go to in order to remain in power. I urge all Syrians to reconsider their positions and think carefully about their actions. No regime or leader is worth sacrificing the country and the lives of hundreds of thousands for. Get rid of this murderous disgusting regime, and let’s build a multi party secular democratic state. The alternative, civil war, is just too horrible to contemplate. Minorities in Syria must make a stand now and side with the people, not the regime. Otherwise I fear there will be an inevitable backlash against them, and their fears will become self fulfilling prophecies.

There is one word absent, completely nonexistent, in the regime declarations and promises, as well as in the tracts and speeches of regime apologists… and that is ELECTIONS. No one on the regime side wants to talk about elections. For the past forty years they have made a mockery of this important civilized mechanism for governance, with out-of-this-world figures like 99.97% results. To all regime supporters and apologists out there, the only reason that you and the regime are avoiding talk of “elections” is because you know 100% the regime has no chance in hell winning if a truly democratic process is initiated. This leads to the sad conclusion that Assad’s is a minority regime that wants to rule as a minority and to force its will on an unwilling population. However, the Syrian revolution has made it clear that the majority of Syrians are no longer willing to accept this farce. Syria is a not a ranch owned by the Assad family and it will not be treated as such.

The regime is clearly exploiting sectarian identities and fears to sustain itself in power. This is absolutely not the Baath party that came to power in 1963. Not the Baath of Michel Aflaq, Salah Bitar, Zaki Arsouzi, and Akram Hourani. This is the last thing they thought of creating: a monster of a sectarian regime surviving off fanning sectarianism. No wonder Assad got rid of all of them very early on. It is a shame how a noble idea is ignobly corrupted by self-serving opportunists.

“The monastery at Mar Musa has published a letter about its current personal financial struggle – due to paralysis of tourism in Syria, and a plea for support. It is also interesting and informative about the way in which one monastery sees the problems and has human interest. Deir Mar Musa has played an leading role in promoting inter-faith dialogue and in trying to introduce Christians to the notion that the Muhammad was a prophet and the Koran a revealed book.”

…and the rabbis, politicos in israel and its stooge, america, are playing the leading role in promoting hate, strife, violence, warfare, destruction, and death.

#60 rest assured the powerful and rich in this regime will evacuate their families out of the country to live in safety and luxury, while the poorer of their clan and sect get slaughtered. They don’t give a crap about others, only their own preservation and self interest. They would sacrifice anyone and anything to hold on to their power, wealth and privilege, make no mistake about it.

Najati Tayara. Ali Abdullah. The intellectuals. Just the most prominent people whose arrest puts the lie to your notions of dialogue.

“Of course Abboud and his bearded friends”

I don’t have any bearded friends, and from now on you shall refer to me by my proper name; Pony Tail Aboud. I worked damn hard to earn it. What, you wouldn’t dream of calling junior anything other than Al-Sayed Al-Rayes Al-Doktooooooooor Bashar Hafez Al-Athad Abu Hafeeeeeeeeeeeez Wallak Menheeeeeeeeeebaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaak Dakheeeeeeeeeeel A3youuuuunaaaaaak Ya Beshoooooo!

🙂

@55 “or is its one of our precious commenters gone completely bazurk”

Yeeees…I was wondering when you’d throw that accusation about. As for me, I don’t remember once holding back from saying anything. It’s far more dangerous for me, obviously. If I want to call someone a scum, I’ll call him a scum. But not once have I insulted the Alawite sect. Just the shabiha. As I understand it, the shabiha are Sunnis up in Aleppo.

On to another matter. It is the practice in Syria that exam papers get distributed among different provinces when they get corrected. The idea was to ensure impartiality in the grading, otherwise teachers might have been tempted to inflate grades for students from their own cities.

This year, the papers for the students in Dar’a were sent to….Homs. Naturally, Dar’awis scored the highest marks this year 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

@68 “While the arab “brothers” are watching the Syrian economy getting in trouble, they are not ready to give a helping hand.”

Give…me…a…break. For years junior hitched his wagon to the Iranian horse, and now you expect the Gulf to bail him out? Just count your lucky stars that only Qatar has so far broken off diplomatic relations.

Right now, I want to know which one of you sycophants agrees with this disgraceful remark;

“mass murderer Khaled bin alwaleed ”

Come on, don’t be cowards, show some spine for a change. Is it acceptable for a Syrian to call Khaled ibn Al Waleed a “mass murderer”? The man who beat both the Persian and Roman armies and liberated Bilad al Sham for the Arabs?

Sigh of relief! you’re still sound! I should have noticed that the other loud voice guy lacked totally humour, he couldn’t be you!
Is you Pony tail hennaed? They do that in Pakistan and also in the mother of all religious pleasures and fashion: Saudi Arabia.
I regret you have no bearded friends, some are cool.

Where are the other oppositions leaders? In any case, I have lost hopes about they coming of coma. They seem to know how to write declarations, but are unable to talk, except when it has to do with criticizing the x-opposition who make a lot of noise in the name of Syrians. I noticed that many of them do not color their beard, yet.

The government has guns, the media and the army. Why is the regime going to compromise on anything? At the very least the regime should accept an international mediator such as the Turks or the Egyptians. But barring that, the dialog proposal is a sham (no pun intended).

70. Aboud said:
“Right now, I want to know which one of you sycophants agrees with this disgraceful remark;

“mass murderer Khaled bin alwaleed ”

Come on, don’t be cowards, show some spine for a change. Is it acceptable for a Syrian to call Khaled ibn Al Waleed a “mass murderer”? The man who beat both the Persian and Roman armies and liberated Bilad al Sham for the Arabs?”

“Right now, I want to know which one of you sycophants agrees with this disgraceful remark;
“The Sunnis are going to take over in Syria and even the pro-regime Sunnis will turn against it, whether you like it or not. I admit I am a Sunni sectarian, and want the Sunnis in power to what Shi’ites are claiming in Iraq and Bahrain and if the minorities don’t like it, they can leave or join the frontlines of the shabiha in preventing the inevitable. ””

More civil strife is in the horizon. Now it is bad in Homs, Qatana and al-Bukamal.

Homs has lots of Alawis, and is surrounded by many Alawi villages, same goes to the Christians, who are also in Homs and around it. Now it is obvious that the sectarian feelings are tilting towards the violent solution on both sides.

Qatana has Alawis, Druz, Christians and Sunnis. The last few days saw some violent confrontations between the Sunnis vs the rest.

The demonstration of the Sunnis with the man on a horse on the front was interesting because it included women all veiled from head to toe, walking in the back of course. Men in the front and women in the back and the man shooting the clip even was asked by a person standing next to him to cut it when the women’s section came to frame.

This is trouble in Qatana because it is mixed with people from all sects. It also has army barracks in it. Things are ugly there today, and will remain like that.

In al-Bukamal: if one to believe the official story, the Salafi Jihadi are in for a fight. All know that they are based there and if al-Assad chose to fight them now, videos show storm troopers on the way. There was a base for them that was attacked by the Americans. They are at the Iraqi border. Also, along the Assad’s logic, he is fighting the Salafi Jihadi and there are a bunch of them of course around and in al-Bukamal. The fight is underway I think.

Lattakia, from what I saw from You tube and through facebook conversations with friends from all sects living there, it quite in most areas most of the week except for the Skanturi, Raml al-Falastinyiah, Bustan al-Sidawi area. It is the poorest area of Lattakia. It is all Sunnis, women veiled and very conservative. They meet in an area, sing, chant, take a video, post it on You tube and go home. Some throw home made explosives the army on the fringes fire bullets, no one had died there for a while. The army has boxed them in from all directions of fear that things spread to other Sunni area around it and which still see small demos especially after Friday’s prayer. You see some women, all veiled from head to toe in their videos standing on the sides. One of them burned a picture of al-Assad in al-Skanturi. The video is on you tube of course. It became staged to the camera and the outside world with you tube as the medium.

The Alawi and the Christian areas in Lattakia live in a different world, that is what I gathered from conversations. But, everybody is nervous of course and scared of the future.

@76 So, you chickened out? I don’t know who made the remarks you posted, but have I, in the months I’ve been on here, ever said anything remotely approaching those sentiments?

No, and I don’t subscribe to them. I asked you a direct question, and instead of displaying some testicular fortitude and giving us a straight yes or no, you chicken out. At least we now know that even the Arab world’s greatest military commander is unacceptable to some. And you people have the nerve to call us sectarian?

Khaled ibn Waleed liberated vast swathes of lands for the Arabs. He defeated that era’s superpowers.

Yes, the wall of fear is shattered indeed and the wall of hate and counter-hate that Assad laid its base is growing taller.

I never believed for one second that Bashar cared about Alawis. He only cared about his inner circle. He has done nothing to Alawis other than hiring them into lead positions in the army or the security branches in order to exploit their inherent loyalty that was built-in within their psych due to their minority status, very well justified by their previous long standing history of oppression and humiliation by Sunni majority, at times emboldened by the Ottoman occupation. His legacy, in my opinion, was to rob the Alawis from their identity and to re-define it as “that minority sect ruling the country”.
To remind you with what Kheder told us, I quote “Alawis today believe that they are under attack – not because anyone is actually attacking them as a group of people or community; they are not. Rather, they feel under attack because the regime is threatened and may fall. This is tantamount – at least subconsciously – to their identity being shattered.” And Tara adds, this will only get worse with the sectarian killing that Homs may have witnessed yesterday.

On the other hand, the majority Sunnis, suffering under the oppression for the last 40 years by an authoritarian regime that deprived the whole country from its dignity and basic human rights, were shocked and awed by new wave of atrocities never thought possible committed by this regime over the last 4 month, culminated into the killing of more than 1500, gunning down elderly women( remember the veiled Banias women) and torturing children. It is not unexpected for perhaps a sizable number of Sunnis to vilify Alawis, “that minority sect ruling the country” turning a blind eye on the fact that many Sunnis are indeed active accomplices, particularly incited by Saudi agenda funding Aroor with underlying fear of Iran and Shiaa dominance throughout the Arabic world.

What a better set up for a sectarian civil war that could potentially consume us all?

Now, to reply to your comment, I stick to my position. The regime is not interested in real dialogue. It is trying to buy time hoping that the “security option” would work, thinking that if it worked in Deraa, Banias, and Jisr al Shoughoue, it would work anywhere else. And in the interim, its real intention is to only have a dialogue with itself. There are minimal conditions that must be met. Have you not seen the beating of an opposition member during one of those so called national dialogue conference? Have you not witnessed the arrest of the intellectuals and the actors trying to demonstrate peacefully in Damascus. Are Aref Dalila and Kilo Ikhwan? Is Mai Ikwan?
Assad has not made a SINGLE measure to convince us of his sincerity and the ball is in his court.

He has probably made the decision that if he to go down, he will drag the whole country down with him, and it’s really up to the Alawis and Sunnis to decide their fate now.

By the way, I am still waiting to hear: Good morning to you, Tara, too? How long should I wait?

I really don’t understand what you people have against Khalid ibn Waleed. The Arab world’s greatest general, with a magnificent string of victories against insurmountable odds, and you people have the nerve to call him a mass-murderer? That’s rich, coming from the same people who worship Hafez Athad

As usual a misleading headline: What? EU is closing their embassy too? No.. it is considering further sanctions? No official declaration that I have seen.
Despite its gaz reserves and their fat leaders, how important is Qatar to be able to pressure Syria?

If Qatar is so unimportant why was Alex always making such a big fuss of the excellent relations that Syria had with Qatar? Qatar has Al-Jazeera (which Assad has given up on) and it was the country that brokered the Lebanese Doha accord. In the past, Qatar gave Syria gifts of cash, oil and grain. The closing of the Qatar embassy is a big thing. It shows that Assad is more isolated than ever.

Ok, You stick to you demonization of the ‘regime’ and your mistrust of their offer to dialog.
I find this idea of ‘bringing down everything with them ‘ totally absurd, sorry. These people have families, married with other sects, investments, why would they prefer to destroy the country rather than trying to mend it and at least protect the minorities from the wrath of the ‘oppressed sunnis, are you serious?”
You know very well that most of the richest business people in Syria are sunnis, I am not so sure if they are oppressed and I wonder if they did much to relieve the poverty of the poor sunnis in the small cities that are in anger now at the ‘regime’. Please stop to put the blame on a small group of people and look at the others who benefited and did nothing. The rich sunnis ARE also the “regime”.

When you let loose people, don’t expect them to be nice. Cycles of revenge are difficult to stop.
I still believe it is possible to calm down the spirits by entering into a serious dialog with no conditions.

I worry Syria will wake up, after the bloodbath of the sectarian violence in the hand of veiled women and men calling for Jihad
Not a pretty picture that would make the now vilified era of Bashar, look like a paradise of tolerance.

Qatar is the frog that wants to look like a bull.
Its previous political success in the arab world and the Aljazeera worldwide recognition went up in their head. They think of themselves now like the beacon of democracy and of political savvyness. Unfortunately their gaz and their gifts have started to smell arrogance and pretentions.

Good afternoon to you too. I prefer coffee. Do not drink tea that much except with Zaatar sandwich. Do you like Zaatar?

You misread part of my post.

“You know very well that most of the richest business people in Syria are sunnis, I am not so sure if they are oppressed and I wonder if they did much to relieve the poverty of the poor sunnis in the small cities that are in anger now at the ‘regime’. Please stop to put the blame on a small group of people and look at the others who benefited and did nothing. The rich sunnis ARE also the “regime:

I absolutely agree. Can you point where I did not blame the accompliced Sunnis? I do not like the regime sunni and alawi alikes.

Bashar needs to convince us with his sincerity before we can sit and dailogue. He has failed to do do and time is running fast.

The horse-ride in Qatana is staggering and very disturbing. It is so to me and to my people as memories are what’s only left of an event that happened not long time ago, 1915.

I am Chaldean Christian from Hassakeh Syria. My grandmother was born in Diyarbakir, Turkey, survivor of the 1915 genocide that almost annihilated all the christian communities living in Northern Syria, all of modern Turkey, Northern Mesopotamia (all under the Ottoman empire).

My late grandmother who saw her three brothers butchered in front of her eyess, went into hiding at the Chaldean Church (Mar Pition) in Diyarbakir. She told to my father a similar story of a horse-riding sheikh that happened in in Diyarbakir in the years of the genocide:

In the early days of the genocide that reached the South-East, after a ‘faraman’ was proclaimed telling that the killing of Christians was halal. In the following days, a horse-riding sheikh was riding in the old christian quarter of Diyarbakir and elsewhere to tell the Christians that they are now under his Islamic rule. This marked the beginning of massacres in the city of Diyarbakir and the burning of the old city (predominantly Armenian).

When I read the news about the horse-riding even, even if the even is isolated and after all it’s only Qatana (city where my uncle married); I wasn’t able to distance the story from the Diyarbakir events. MJABALI’s link showing the horse-riding dude and men in the back walking followed by the women… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E3Mr4Xs0P0w

Not being able to distance this even from the one that happened almost 100 years ago is troublesome. It means that we are scared, not only for our lives but scared to leave our ancestral land (Mesopotamia in our case), Assyrians’ presence is attested since the early days of Civilization and we will have to leave again. Few of us where lucky to leave Turkish lands to survive, many where left behind (mostly Armenian infants) and became Muslims… We don’t (read recent hurriet article on the subject: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.php?n=hidden-armenians-in-turkey-expose-their-identities-2011-06-24)

We came to Syria as it became secular. We want a secular state in the middle east because this is the only way to guarantee our right. I understand reforms are wanted and it will be most welcome, but regime change is a no go, we want assurance. We are scared this will be the same as in 1915.

WE DON’T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN AGAIN! NO TO AMERICA, NO TO THE WEST INVOLVEMENT IN “DEMOCRATIZATION”, get rid of your corruption and then come… LEAVE US ALONE.

Assalaamu alaikum. Let’s make one thing clear: Everybody’s for peace. Don’t expect hurt individuals to remain peaceful. They will start to fight the mukhabarat, and frankly it’s justified. Assad has a choice, but not the options he had before.

PUNTROAD,

“The people need to hold the government accountable and participate in this process. In terms of the fear that people live in – how is it that one can yell ‘irhal ya bashar’ and the more derogatory ‘tiz feek ya bashar’ but not lobby for reform within the system? I have difficultly reconciling this.”

I am trying to understand what you are thinking, even though I strongly disagree with your idea of “precedents” and responsibility. The responsibility is with the leadership to lead by example.

“However, that there is such force and momentum apparently with the protesters, it is preferable that they take the matter to the next level and move from the street, to meaningful lobbying. The difference between 80 and 90s is that the government is very openly conceded that the demand for reform (as opposed to the demand for ouster) is legitimate, and is facing chaos.”

You don’t realize that what the government says is not what it does? Amnesty. Does amnesty mean that no one will be arrested when they try to enter Syria based on Bashar’s words? “Not one bullet.” Does this mean that the security forces in Daraa and Tel Kalakh have disobeyed? Do you think Assad will go after his brother now? Do you seriously think “lobbying” will work? Get a grip friend.

All I can say is that if any Syrian walks up to a ministry and lobbies, he’s done. He’s finished. This is reality. There is no justice when the accused has Wasta. And you would have Syrians shut up about it and move on?

WD
Beard is so yesterday, today the goatee, ponytail and niqabs’ are‘IN’.
All started after the original baghl ponytail asked the other baghl swede bro to replace his beard with a goatee and new glasses to be cool and more easy on the eye if he doesn’t eat you, then they both convinced jeddo ‘Salty’ to do the same and now the trend protocol is a ponytail for people with hair, a goatee for the bolds and the black afghani niqab for all Syrian females no exception.

P.S. If you have both (goatee and ponytail) you are a natural ‘leader’ and you will be the ‘STAR’ of ponytail’s media production:http://youtu.be/kW3uSSPnz28

I hope this move of the Syrian Druze community can help cool down the situation in Qatana, they are saying that Qatan residents are our people and any wrong doing is an individual act that doesn’t reflect the whole community and we will let the state to deal with thugs without getting dragged into any war that will bring nothing upon us but destruction.

I live near Qatana and this what happned:
1-last month security force and Shabi7a from 4th brigade Masaken attaked an anti regime demostration killing many,
2-Qatana residents prevented the Masaken ppl(almost 100% Alawites) from entring Qtana and doing a pro-regime demo in it,
3-Qatana residents prevented another pro-regime demo that started from the baath building after AdduniaTV came and started saying that Qatanis are supporting Bashar(they are outsiders),and beat the crap out of 5 ,no death.
4-one of the beaten up turned up to be a Druze shekh-Akl in 3arneh (a summugling border town in the mountain) ,he ran to his town and brought a lot of people armed with handguns and AK47 to Qatana ,the Masaken guys and Security saw that and joined the 3arneh guys <and they started shooting randomly killing a lot including an infant.
5-now there is about 30 tank surrounding the town.
6-there was no Islamic emirate or a amir on a horse ,that is laughable and rediculous , a lot of Qatanis are Nazhine from Golan ,and they are not really that religious ,,
7-what happened is good for no one,and all made mistakes but the goverment is supporting one side on the other and that is 1000 worng

1.The regime invents a story and believes istelf.
The discourse of the regime from the outset was the accusation of the presence of armed gangs, infiltrators, conspirators, and Salafis waging an armed rebellion.

In many instances, the regime responded to this propaganda by unleashing armed gangs and security personnel in a crackdown and arbitrary repression to sow terror and fear.
2. The walls being built
The walls of fear are several, one is that the omnipresent security knows all and will act with impunity and ruthelssly to maintain the regime; the second is that without the regime only chaos will follow; the third is that the minorities will be massacred.
3. Dialogue is not reform and is not a negotiation
The regime needs some element of chaos and strife to maintain its grip on power. As some on this post posit the need for security forces and the army is more pressing than ever. The call by some that the regime offered a dialogue while at the same time maintaining the need for an armed presence is contradictory: in Hama and in Damascus there were instances of peaceful protest only to have the full state of emergency situation and the impunity of the security forces be used in full force against ordinary and important elements of the society that actually would give a breathing space to the country if they were truly allowed to have a dialogue.

Now a dialogue is not a negotiation for the later means that there is room for concessions whereas the former means that the regime is willing to listen and that consideration for action is wholly reserverd in the prerogatives of the regime therefore the talk of reform when only a one way dialogue is allowed is just that: talk.

4. The regime benefits from sectarian strife
As the so called bulwark of secular and non sectarian Syria, the regime will point to any sectarian strife as a legitimacy card it carries to insure the stability of the various communities and the balance of power among sects. It needs this narrative to consolidate the Alawi sect around it and to warn the security forces against defections as these may lead to retribution against them by the population. In essence enraging the population just enough is what it helps it at this stage. However it will backfire and there are clear indications that the regime is losing control
5. The problems:
The Baath party has many members revolting against the regime as they have been marginalized
The armed forces cannot be relied on to continue to follow orders and only a fraction of the armed forces are loyal
The extent of revolt is more than the regime can handle at once and the fire brigade is going from one town to another in a rotating manner
The economy cannot be maintained and the Iranian regime cannot sustain it for more than a few months
Again it is a spiral down into a civil war that will take years to resolve.
The analogy is exactly like the monkey that grabs a piece of salt in the crevisse of a tree and with its hand fisted holding the salt it cannot extricate itself without letting go the prize. That is the example of every dictator and empire that refuses to see the light. This applies to Syria as well as to the US as both find themselves unable to let go of the prize that is destroying them both.

I think the idea of “freedom of expression” has triggered the imagination and fantasy of many.
Some want to divide Syria into religious cantons, some want to merge with Iraq, some with Turkey, Kurds want their independance, some want to instaure a salafi emirate, some want revenge for ‘oppression’ or for anything that bothered them, some wants to smuggle to/from Lebanon, freely.

The regime is sectarian, yes. They want others to worship Bashar, yes. I ask though that you not speak in the same way, while invoking Islam. Islam teaches patience and tolerance, justice and forgiveness. You are smart to point out the obvious, but sectarianism has no place in Islam.

The best times in the past are those of peace and high education, among all people that lived in and flocked to these lands. If Assad starts a civil war, I ask that you be the first to push for peace, if you wish to invoke Islam in the future.

Thanks for your usual depressing views. Your narrative has been clear from the start: this country is doomed, there is no way out.
So need to repeat your long justifications, we heard them already, nothing new.

The deranged menhebek crowd continues to ignore the elephant in the room, the slaughter of tens of thousands of Sunnis by your regime, which is the main cause of the protests, and even if you consider the protestors barbarians or savages, you can’t brush this aside. The regime is finished and the menhebek crowd should start packing their bags.

“About this newcomer on SC who obviously coming straight from Kabul

or is its one of our precious commenters gone completely bazurk and who changed his nickname to a more meaningful one so he can let his real hateful nature explode?”

No, I have come from Hama, Tadmur, Sayyadni and Palestine prison, Dir’a, Tripoli, the Palestinian refugee camps in Lebanon, where your army committed massacres. If you want to apply Zionist principles where you expect your enemies to go to their graves smiling, I don’t think so. Enough of this peaceful nonsense. Both the Zionist and Asad mafia are finished. But you know what, if the crimes of Asad regime, we will be coming from Kandahar.

“The ‘regime’ has offered dialog, what did the local opposition offered? They: NAH.. we want to see the army and security forces out of cities… ”

They have offered dialogue while carrying the shabiha stick.

“solution:partition syria;the peacefull minorities on one side”

All these minorities are peaceful?. The Alawis who killed tens of thousands of Sunnis in Lebanon and Syria. The Maronite Christians who killed thousands of Palestinians in Lebanon. The Druze who slaughtered thousands of Christians in Lebanon. The Druze who serve in the IDF to oppress the Palestinians.

” and the the Sunni 3ar3arrrr bloody cult of the mass murderer Khaled bin alwaleed behind high walls with razor blades on the top….good riddance”

If Islamic history is bloody, then Christian history is just as bloody and if the shoe was one the other foot, then they would have oppressed the Muslims.

I always followed this blog, but I started feeling recently the author is trying to promote the regime’s point of view without real evidences, or any objective assessment for the available news.

The author assumes in his introduction that the people are fighting each other; actually, I never heard that, even on Syrian TV. The Syrian TV always said there are ‘armed groups’ fighting the army, which is by itself not proven, and everyone knows it’s a propaganda rhetoric.

It’s really lame to cite a Facebook page managed by the regime, without even specifying details of news. Just a link to generic page in Arabic with tens of posts is not enough.

Hello. I get it. You do not like Islam and we all have taken a note of that. Not a problem. You are entitled to your opinion and I am personally A OK with that. It is your freedom of mental status/ emotion / expression. You name it. We all lived under the dictatorship and need to vent. But then what? For the Billions of Muslims who find peace and comfort in Islam, what do you want to tell them?

Please do not be swayed not to continue with your posts. It is healthy to vent. I have no problem with it but what are we supposed to do with your posts? just asking.

DAMASCUS- An official source at the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry on Monday said that media reports saying Iran is supporting Syria with money and oil are false and baseless.

Some media reported that Iran has approved a financial support estimated at USD 5.8 billion to boost Syria’s economy in addition to granting Damascus 290 thousand barrels of oil for free during the coming nine months.

I’ve had it. Here I sit worried sick for my friends and relatives in other parts of Homs, and what do I see? Abu Umar who seems determined to rob Russia’s Czar Ivan for the title of “The Terrible”.

Dude, I am a Sunni Muslim. I want a specific set of people to step down, and a specific set of reforms to the country. I will not spend my life avenging the wrongs of 30,40,50 years past.

If you keep up this tirade, then know that you stand alone. I despise Bashar and the Baathists, but not even I want them removed at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.

ZakYahya @111 Landis was never an objective observer. Every day I visit this blog, I am under no illusions as to where his sympathies lies. But someone has to shine a light on the regime’s lies. I’d be much happier on a website with people who share my views, but we all have to do our bit for freedom.

The first time I visited Japan with my wife, we arrived and caught a taxi. The driver pulls a handle from his seat and the back door opens for you to enter. I wondered about whether or not I should tip, not knowing what was customary in Japan.

In the buffet style hotel restaurant, the server was very friendly. You get your food yourself, and they are always moving around the tables to make sure the food is okay. I decided to ask her, uncomfortably, about tipping in Japan. Her response: “No, sir! In Japan, we take pride about not receiving tips.”

This was an eye-opener for me. In some other countries I know of, tipping is not normal, but accepted when offered. In japan though, workers can feel very insulted if offered a tip, just as well-off individuals would feel insulted if offered 100 lira to help someone with something.

You might be surprised to find that Japanese waitstaff, shopkeepers, and store clerks are probably the friendliest in the world. They are so welcoming, helpful, and efficient in their work. This is with everyone that visits their places of work.

Japan was able to achieve something important in regards to pride of the nation. Even the lower classes of the society take pride in their work, to the point that they mostly would find our tips offensive. To the point that they want nothing else than to do their job well.

Some day, if the downtrodden classes of people in Syria build themselves up through hard work and find offense when offered tips, you will know our people have become a much better nation.

Wouldn’t it be nice for the government employee to be offended the next time you offer a tip for a document? When it comes to efficiency, the Syrian government is in the Stone Age. The Syrian people need to rise up and let their pride translate into diligent, better work. If the new government succeeds in curbing corruption, my fantasy may have a chance of succeeding.

There was an interesting research study I read news about not too long ago. The researchers did an extensive study on children and their reactions to compliments.

After doing something well, some children were complimented that they were very smart, and the others were complimented that they worked very hard.

In most cases, the children who were told they were very smart stopped working to do better. Their response was due to the belief that, being smart means they don’t have to work hard to accomplish what they want. In a sense, you could say that the children were full of pride, and full of themselves.

The other children were complimented that they worked very hard to do well. The reaction of these children was completely different than those above. In response to being complimented on hard work, they continued working hard to do better. They were under no illusions that intellect alone would be recognized or make them do a good job.

My point is that there are different kinds of pride. Pride of one’s history, as well as intellect, are not bad per se. Real pride though comes from one’s work, not what one has.

For the first time, the opposition declares that security forces stopped violence.. a change of tone. Time for dialog!

Security forces intervene in Homs and have stopped the violence, has declared the chief of the Syrian League for Human Rights, Abdel Karim Rihaoui. He estimated that the confrontations that has started saturday between the inhabitants gave a ” dangerous signal of the collapse ” that threatens the syrian society, if a solution is not found to the crisis ‘born from the protest movement’ that started four months ago.

أكدت وزارة الخارجية أن سورية اعترفت بدولة فلسطين على خطوط 1967 وعاصمتها القدس الشرقية.
Is this a recognition of the state of Israel, wth no concessions in return?
That is why US is chamging its position toward Syrian regime.

The following is an excerpt from the letter (noted above) from the Abbot of the monastery at Mar Musa…

“…the political situation is bogged down. A part of the population has clearly lined up for change. They are counting their victims and are sometimes forced into exile. Another part is supporting at least passively the repressive slide. They are mourning their dead and deploring their wounded, as well as a situation that is more and more hopeless.

Non-violence does not run in the blood of this society and, obviously, it is not through Gandhi-like methods that the power system lasted for forty years. A peaceful path towards change would require a miracle and we are many, here in Syria, to implore God for this miracle in two different ways: conservative or innovative. But the two meet in this religious-nationalist feeling that leads to the slogan: ‘Syria, it is God who protects her’…”

Of course, no one in Syria believes in God anymore. The Assad Mafia saw to that…

I’ve only started posting two days ago and I find all this “antiques” start sharing their great wisdom openly?
Abu Umar, you should find yourself a miraculous therapist
AFRAM, better keep these gems you’re sharing with us to yourself (note:all this hatred will burn you first of all)
AMNESIA, I can’t believe you’re actually condoning carrying arms against the government, do you have a crave for a blood bath ?

a healthy conversation couldn’t be established in such a noise
MDS is out

Dearest OTW
For God sake please don’t use ‘menhebak’/’mamnhebak’ terms they are way lower than your intellectual level.
Beside, what’s the point of engaging with such radical views on SC when we are not even holding a constructive dialogue between each other? I personally think it’s useless, you know that too.
(BTW, I might be visiting your city)

With all due respect to all those who are looking for a scapegoat of our own ills, Abu Omar is a Palestinian national and Afram is a ‘Syrian/Iraqi’ Syriac/Assyrian, both represent the deep hatred they hold through their own personal experience from all our region’s ills.
Abu Omar, The Palestinian, represent the unjust treatment of everybody around him, from the Zionists occupation to their own brothers including Syrians, even his name to those who know about sectarianism has a sectarian meaning.

Afram on the other hand represent his personal Syriac/Assyrian point of view that they had to suffer from the Kurds, the Ottomans and the Syrian government (if he is an Iraqi citizen then his views are even more rigid specifically against Muslims because of the civil war and the killing of Christians in Iraq, I don’t know what kind of trauma this guy went through to judge)

Both have their own extreme views of the other side and instead of us being so defensive and judgmental without understanding the context of those guys experience, it might be a better idea to either hear them out or totally ignore there comments, (my approach).
But to blame everybody on SC for individuals commenting by radical and ugly sectarian views is way too judgmental and short sighted.

Before some of you start calling me names, just read what I wrote twice and understand that I have the most rigid history on SC against sectarianism in all its forms, so my comment is not in anyway in acceptance of what those two guys wrote, I’m simply trying to use logic and reasons.

majedkhaldoon @127 I don’t see it that way. The Israelis would never agree to share Jerusalem with the Palestinians. Just the mere mention is enough to freeze peace talks for years.

@131 “Of course, no one in Syria believes in God anymore. The Assad Mafia saw to that…”

Syria has produced some of the Arab world’s greatest religious scholars, even under Hafez Assad. At the same time, we have produced the region’s best poets, writers, singers, actors, and Ramadan Television shows (if only the Karama football club would be more consistent in how they played, damn it).

Is the list of 11 person Salvation Commitee elected in Istambul published?
Western Media usually so abundant (France 24, Al Jazeera) seem strangely silent on that.
Did they elect that the 25 members on saturday?
What is going on?

So my post has nothing new, yet the events in Syria are moving beyond the regime’s control.

The regime is doomed and the people are not. The Syrian people in particular and the oppressed Arab people in general are the most resilient and smart and adaptable as they have been able to eck out a living, laugh and joke about, and keep family and community ties in better shape than many a country DESPITE THE MASSIVE OPPRESSION CORRUTPION GRAFT INEFFICIENCY AND LACK OF BASIC HUMAN DIGNITY AND RIGHTS in their respective countries.

Syria’s peoples are not doomed, also what is the reason to hold this country together if the consitutent elements in it do not wish to live under the dictatorship of the Baath and the Clan. Let them decide their own fate. A federation, a regional economic community or several autonomous regions are all better than the current regime we have.

Luxembourg asked to sessed from Belgium, not a shot was fired and it was granted, Slovakia left the Checque Republic and no shots were fired.

Live and let live, let the Kurds have their state and the Alawites theirs and the Turks theirs and if we in Syria cannot agree on a national identity that cements us without stifling our diversity then divorce is the option. It will unleash the huge potential of the peoples of Syria and the ME.

Let us do it peacefully rather than through bloodshed. It is not the end of the world and will open the door to a regional integration of all these people without forcing them to live toghether in artificial inherently unstable entities. As a matter of fact, economic integration will hasten this separation and autonomy to the benefit of all as monopoly of power will be abolished.

Some are so blind by sectarian fears and by an experiment in real democracy despite its messy and contentious nature that they cannot see that neither security nor feedom will be available and that a future without the Baath and Bashar and sectarian, familial, clan, wealth based distribution of positions and priviliges (rather than merit ) is no future at all.

The future actuall is without the current regime.

It has to be uprooted from its most distant tips to its tallest leaf.

In reality those that bemoan the desire for freedom as an equivalent to an invitation to chaos and destruction are insulting the people at many levels;
It says in essence: you are not worth freedom and dignity and a say in your future and that of your children and you are not capable of discussion and dialogue and thinking and reasoning and yes the opportunity to build and to make mistakes.

This is a most racist and degrading statement when someone preaches an authoritarian transition to power sharing with the regime dictating the direction and pace of the change and the degree of sharing: the ultimate oxymoron if I ever heard one.

“I can’t believe you’re actually condoning carrying arms against the government, do you have a crave for a blood bath ?”

If you read my posts, I said clearly that I am against guns. This is because they are dangerous when used in the wrong way, not because I disagree with the logic of protecting one’s self and family.

In Iraq, households everywhere have guns, for protection. In Syria, many individuals are now holding guns, for protection. In Georgia, after fighting Russia recently, the government went door to door to take the weapons back.

Weapons will never help when everyone has them. I am against guns. Don’t though expect me to not blame the Syrian regime for the violence they have created. When people the world over revolt from tyranny, they do so violently. If Bashar ends his tyranny on his own, peace will have a chance. Not otherwise.

“Live and let live, let the Kurds have their state and the Alawites theirs and the Turks theirs and if we in Syria cannot agree on a national identity that cements us without stifling our diversity then divorce is the option.”

Thanks for the brilliant suggestion: Dismantle Syria! Congratulation!
There is only one country who thinks like you and hopes for it: Israel. Are you one of them? You sounds very much like Dale Andersen and the zionists on SC.

OBSERVER In reality those that bemoan the desire for freedom as an equivalent to an invitation to chaos and destruction are insulting the people at many levels; It says in essence: you are not worth freedom and dignity and a say in your future and that of your children and you are not capable of discussion and dialogue and thinking and reasoning and yes the opportunity to build and to make mistakes.

This is a most racist and degrading statement when someone preaches an authoritarian transition to power sharing with the regime dictating the direction and pace of the change and the degree of sharing: the ultimate oxymoron if I ever heard one.

They want to keep it secret maybe because they are worried that giving out the names will discredit them completely. I regret that Haitham Al Maleh fell into the trap, as his presence gave some legitimacy to an otherwise unrepresentative group. I am sure he regrets it now.

Observer, you posts are some of the best here. My first reaction was to dismiss your last recommendation of Syria breaking up, but I’ll tell you what. If the national government wishes to grant freedom to regions of Syria to govern certain areas on their own, I am open to that. But there must always be free movement, a common currency, and the national government must always have the last say in matters.

It was clear to many that the external opposition attending especially the organized one is of the Islamist shade albeit not all MBs, but other smaller parties as well. I do not think that they will have as much weight within the internal opposition and the coordination committees who have kept their own distance from most conferences. The regime’s prevention of the meeting in Syria through the Qaboun Massacre, ended up helping the internal wing of the Salvation movement. By making the effect of what heppens in Istanbul sink for a while and allow the internal group to balance out the external after seeing it all. The conference exposed some of those meeting in Istanbul as power-hungry and unreliable and as authoritarian of their own right. I heard that after delivering his speech, Burhan Ghalyoun left to his room and never returned. Opposition activists, especially younger ones and the few females who attended were greatly disappointed, and are now asking the internal group not to rely much on this branch and also asking those who have contributed money to these conferences to stop doing that and to send the money to support those activists on the inside, especially the coordination committees and/or to support the young activists who had to flee the country because of the regime’s murderous campaign.

With every conference, filters are applied. And in the end, there will emerge a group that will be capable of consolidating a vision for post-Assad Syria, or better yet, for free Syria. The problem on the side of those who bought the me or/chaos is that they are not seeing the real solid opposition developing internally that is doing away with all of the traditional opposition. Only few, fiercely independent opposition stalwarts are recognizing that undercurrent, and they are acting wisely. You have to filter a lot of noise, but the undercurrent is there, and i believe some within the regime are seeing it, and it scares the hell out of them. Watch for more fake incidents and news and for more violence and a huge arrest campaign in order to stop this undercurrent before it develops into a real strong force. In the meantimes, the regime keeps singing its tone and conducting dialog with itself through Aldunya and the Syrian TV and its stupid deceitful press, and insulting the living and loved ones of those who lost their lives by continuing the Bashar enthrallment pageantry. (Ok Jad no men7ebbak).

Bashar and the regime are one, and anyone thinking that he can lead a transition out of his own skin, would be naive, at best. This regime must go for the ghost of civil war to recede, not the other way around.

Just look at how Syria is breaking apart and tell me how democracy could possibly work in a country filled with sectarian monsters. The culture of hate and blind loyalty (religious or tribal) goes back centuries in Middle Eastern history. The fact is there has never been a successful democratic system in the Middle East. Rulers have always gained power through force, or dynastic succession. Before calling for democracy, people in the Middle East need to make their culture more individualistic rather than communal and build an infrastructure of tolerance.

Until secularism is fully embraced by the majority, we should not pretend to be ready for democracy. Democracy is a progressive concept that is built upon embracing diversity and rejecting absolutism. Can we honestly say today that Syria, or any other Middle Eastern country, are capable of accepting that?

Let’s not fool ourselves into believing that changing the regime will somehow change the backward culture the Middle East still embraces and suddenly bring enlightenment to the masses. Baby steps are the only way to the Promised Land of democracy. Order needs to be restored immediately, so the baby may start walking. Otherwise, chaos is here to stay, and our children will never know peace…

Afram
Please understand that this forum is not about religious differences, it’s about me and you and our families and our nation’s future.
If you are a Syrian I beg you not to put oil over the already heated fire and if you are an Iraqi brother, please have the courage to defend your prosecuted society to gain respect and be part of a better future instead of disappearing through the dangerous war between religious and sects.
Be a positive messenger of peace in your society instead of being a person who encourage meaningless wars that only me, you and everybody else is going to loos his/her life for nothing.
I hope that you take my words the same way I’m writing them, with nothing but the good will and the deep believe in your goodness.
Debate with us all and be one of us instead of an outsider, we want every person’s good will during these sad times our nation and our people are going through, don’t give the radicals what they want, stand against them by your forgiveness not by your sward, that works better for the whole.
We all have free will to do/write/say what we want, be the good human you are and use it wisely. Please!
—————————-

” I admit I am a Sunni sectarian, and want the Sunnis in power to what Shi’ites are claiming in Iraq and Bahrain and if the minorities don’t like it”

Dearest Abu Umar, this is exactly the kind of thinking I wrote about months ago that the Americans and the Saudis’ want to do. Get the Sunni Syrians like you to start an endless sectarian war with the Shias of Iraq and Iran and they sit on their fat asses all warped in pure cotton cloth to prevent any rash from ever developing.

Abu Umar I want to tell you a story. A few years ago, my wife’s cousin who is a dentist was working in Saudi Arabia, she was treating the wife of a Saudi and he started a conversation with her. He asked where are you from, Syria she replied. with a huge smile from ear to ear, he started telling her about his wonderful trip to Zabadani and Bludan and the wonderful service he received from these beautiful young women and then he tells her it is a pity they were Christians; what a calamity!. He did not know she was Christian off course. This is only the first part of the story, here is the second part:

Then he tells her, those poor dumb Christians in Europe and US work hard developing technology and medicine etc etc working like slaves to develop this stuff; Allah has slaved these people to develop it for us so that we don’t have to work hard he exclaimed. She smile at him and just kept working to treat his wife.

A number of years ago, a Homsi team member came to my brother who was his manager in a certain industry. The worker was disturbed that the night before, he was at his local mosque for a religious discussion. This person asked the Sheikh: how is that the west has gone to the moon, have this advanced technology, medicine industrial know etc and the Arabs and Muslims had almost nothing. The Sheikh joyously exclaimed, my son!; Allah has slaved these infidels to work hard and develop these thing so that we do not have to lift a finger, we just have to use. The next morning he was relaying this story as he probably could not sleep that night.

Be careful dearest Abu Umar that you may end up like those dumb Christian Europeans and American Gringos doing the dirty sectarian work for someone; one day which is getting closer every day unfortunately. While you are thinking about this too, please spare a thought as to why it is so hard to generate over a half million new jobs a year in Syria and other Islamic nations.

Maybe a new industry is about to start up, a new war with Shia Iraq and Iran; it can easily employ tens of thousands per month; on both sides too.

This appears very depressing and I do agree with the conclusion I certainly don’t want us to end up with another dictator. I personally would prefer that any serious dialogue should be carried out with the revolution youth not with those ancient figures trying to bring their significant others into the table. They should assume a supportive and advisory role only and should not make any shadow government. The whole thing appears ridiculous and self serving. I am sorry that Al-maleh was part of it.

AP @155 And what happened to the government of the day that was involved in those negotiations? It got voted out, and since then not a single Israeli government has even entertained the notion of a divided Jerusalem. Has Netanyahu? Has Ehud Olmert? I’m kinda sure Ariel Sharon never did.

It’s not “double standards” to recount the policy of successive Israeli governments. Tell me, if Syria was to call for a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, how would that be received by the current Israeli administration? Would they consider Bashar to have done them a favor? Somehow, I don’t think so.

Not at all, it is not depressing to me. From where I stand, it was two strikes already for the MBs. The first is their participation in the Levy conference in Paris, and the second is their behavior in Istanbul. Both demonstrate for all to see how far they are from real and true opposition, and brings in more of the silent people who are concerned about the MBs. The real opposition is gaining momentum as the regime continues its descent into more absurdity and criminality. Early on, when the first FB call went unanswered, i mentioned that I have confidence in young Syrians. I tend to agree with Aboud that the regime is already down, it is just a matter of it and its head acknowledging that. We have the court order, it is only trying to convince the squatters to leave the property without resorting to violence.

This is the nature of political work. When Syria achieves its freedom, there will be a lot of politicians who will make promises, only to break them. You will be in the majority sometimes and in the minority others. I have been both disappointed and pleased with Obama. But i know that the next election is coming soon, and that I will have to weigh the satisfaction against the disappointment taking into account both my own interests (class wise) and what i perceive to be that national interests of my country before casting my vote, which will count.

The most crucial thing Tara would be that with accountability, appointed managers, who provide continuity, and who make the machine of the state work will be more likely than not selected based on qualifications and aptitude. And this is where the real gem is, it is accountability. Some claim that Bashar Al-Asad want to do that, but by the nature of his regime, he can’t, and by his nature, he won’t.

The more filtering is done now, the better it is later. So don’t be depressed.

And what happened to the government of the day that was involved in those negotiations? It got voted out…

Aboud,

Not quite. Camp David 2000 occurred in the summer of 2000. “The summit ended on July 25, 2000.” The last ditch Taba negotiations fell through in January 2001. A half year had passed.

My point is, your statement is just plain wrong. It is your PERCEPTION, but it isn’t really true when you stated:

The Israelis would never agree to share Jerusalem with the Palestinians.

The “double standard” that I always “harp on” is that, generally, Arabs expect more from Israel then from themselves.

Whether it is Israelis killing Arabs vs. Arabs killing Arabs, or “human rights” or, in this case, giving sovereignty to the Palestinians but not even contemplating (because of the absurdity) sovereignty to the Kurds.

Tell me, if Syria was to call for a Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital, how would that be received by the current Israeli administration?

Basically, that has been the Saudi Plan for a number of years now. It won’t fly with Israelis. The ’67 border cuts Israel out of the Old City and away from the Western Wall and the Jewish Quarter. Also, there is the issue of large settlements and the exchange of land inside of the “green line”. Gotta negotiate this.

As you can see from the above link, the parties weren’t terribly far off, although I don’t think the Palestinians provided a counter offer.

Would they consider Bashar to have done them a favor? Somehow, I don’t think so.

Not sure I understand the question. However, I think what’s going on now, basically closes the chapter on the Golan until:

1.) Assad does what Daddy did and kill a few tens of thousands of Syrians to “show who’s boss”

2.) A new regime takes over (5 years from now?)

I think it is clear that Israel can’t negotiate with someone who seems to be hanging on by a few threads.

Worried yes but scared I don’t see why. I have been invoking a strong and organized opposition internally and I don’t buy the current idea that they are not strong and united because the ‘regime’ is hampering their efforts. Of course the ‘regime’ would prefer a docile opposition but they will be obliged to dialog with whoever is here.
I think they may have missed opportunities.
Before the revolution started to turn sectarian, they should have met with the ‘regime’ and impose their solution to security and to the political changes. They could have used the street as a pressure tool. The problem is that they probably realized they had no control of the street, left to its own uncontrolled catharsis with the help of the x-opposition through facebook. They probably worried the street could turn against them, labeling them as traitors. Yet they should have had the courage to show unity and determination and show that they are the one the ‘regime’ has to deal with not anyone else but they freaked out.
The x-opposition is discredited but is still in control of the street mood even though I think this is starting to change as many may have started to realize they are been manipulated in making a mess of the country and that ultimately they have to live together in one country.

What I hope now is that the local opposition shows finally some nerves and face the ‘regime’ united in a ‘dialog’ without putting pre-conditions on security as it is obvious that it is now getting out of control.
The temptation of splitting the Lebanon was an option during the civil war and it is ironically thanks to Syria that the country stayed one. No one should ever consider that: decentralization m yes, partition no.

Do you have anything against verbal manifestation of admiration and love?
I guess Lady Gaga and prince William get the same from their fans worldwide.. It is natural for many, not for me, but I am not disturbed by it. Let people be free to express their love as much as you let people express their hatred!

Tara:my relgion is Atheism
I reject belief in the existence of deities..however Tara U R free to worship what suits you best&well…and niether of us should impose it on others.
to me Religion is Man-Made…. actually Religion began when the city con_artist met the Village Idiot couple of light years ago/regard
Jad,you/misjudged me,,,I understand to much stuff on your plate!/regard

RE: “…this is how the ‘peaceful protesters/freedom fighters’ repay the country’s soldiers for their efforts in protecting the Syrian people…”

The soldiers’ purpose is NOT to protect the people, Dude. The Assad Mafia’s enemy is NOT Israel or any other foreign country. The enemy is the Syrian people. The Army’s purpose is to keep the Syrian people weak and subdued.

One more time. The Assad Mafia’s enemy is the Syrian People. And conversely, if you’re a Syrian person, the enemy is the Assad Mafia and its Army.

Ms. Iman Albaghdady showed highly needed courage in speaking up her mind on the latest Salvation meeting in Istanbul.
Her attendance was successful if only for exposing its deficiencies.

Having learnt from this experience, she is urged to take every opportunity to attend every such meeting.
Her fresh and honest voice would be most needed to promote the example of freedom and power sharing that she is so passionate about.

The disappointing, negative image that she witnessed had to do with subjective and objective elements that can and should be addressed.
Elder activists are good fathers and mothers, like hers. You may not agree with how they go around doing things but you always trust their good will.
They need young ones like you with energy and spunk to stay the course, and the young need their guidance and experience.

From historic perspective, holding the salvation meeting succeeded in widening the base of representation of the Syrian opposition in exile, to add to the earlier Antalia meeting.

Her recount of the proceedings have enlightened us about the presence of significant deficiencies in the planning and running of such meetings.
I urge the youth organizing the facebook pages to recruit young volunteers with professional experience in planning running, and concluding meetings.
This is a specialized field and should not be left to the veteran activists to handle by themselves.

The elite huddled instead of queued for what eluded them for years, namely the right to participate and represent in the political life in Syria.
Their behavior brought to me the all too familiar images of crowding (instead of queuing) for bread, subsidies, and at all government offices for Mu3amalat, by ordinary citizens.
This behavior has become part of our subconscious mannerism.
Apparently the center for manners in the brain is closely linked to language. For once we speak another language we tend to assume manners of its culture!
Should these elite try to use English or German as the medium for communication? Just kidding!

“A spate of sinister killings in the central city of Homs is fueling fears that the popular uprising in Syria could descend into a version of the sectarian strife that has long destabilized neighboring Iraq and Lebanon.”

“But based on interviews with witnesses on both sides of the divide and a medical worker who tracked the violence and collected the bodies, it appears that the tensions soared after a crowd of Alawites armed with sticks surrounded a mosque in a Sunni neighborhood shortly before the noontime prayers on Friday and began chanting anti-Sunni slogans.

Sunnis responded by abducting three Alawites and on Saturday, their bullet-ridden bodies were found dumped in a Sunni neighborhood of the city. Alawites went on a rampage, looting and burning Sunni shops. In the melee, at least three Sunnis were killed, including a 27-year-old woman who was gunned down when she stepped outside her home in a majority Alawite neighborhood. One activist said that six Sunnis were killed, bringing the total number of deaths in the tit-for-tat killings to nine, though the medical worker who saw the bodies could only confirm a total of six.”

““It’s on the edge of civil war,” said a Christian businessman, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he feared for his safety. He said he originally supported the protest movement, but now stands with the government after witnessing incidents of sectarianism that make him fear for the future of Syria’s religious minorities.”

“A democracy activist in Homs, who also did not want to be named for fear of repercussions, said Sunni opponents of the government are just as scared.

“The atmosphere in the city of Homs is horrible,” he said. “People are afraid of genocide and we pray the night passes without us being killed.””

“The Syrian government has long blamed almost all of the protests on what it calls “armed gangs,” and repeatedly warns that continued unrest could lead to civil war. Democracy activists accuse the government of promoting sectarian tensions in order to justify the brutal tactics used to suppress protests, and to dissuade the international community from backing the protesters’ demands for Assad’s fall.

“The games and dirty practices of the regime in order to incite a sectarian fight to divide the citizens of (Homs) won’t work,” said a statement issued by the Local Coordination Committees, the most organized of the activist groups, in response to the violence. “We reaffirm the peaceful nature of the revolution.”

But there have been several indicators that the Local Coordination Committees, one of several groups involved in organizing and monitoring protests, do not exert full control over the protesters in Homs, or even in many other towns around the country.

A Facebook page that appeared last week, entitled Homs Revolution and featuring a picture of a masked man, offers one glimpse into the depth of the sectarian hatreds that are surfacing. Postings refer to Alawites as “pigs,” describe a plot by “nusariya” — a derogatory term for religious minorities — to purge Syria of Sunnis and urge Sunnis to take up arms against the government. The origins of the page, which has more than 2,000 “likes,” cannot be confirmed.”

It looks like ther might be something being cooked quietly,and that the pressure on Assad has achieved what it was designed for:cutting the relation with Iran.a lot of signs are pointing to that:
1-The immediate Syrian recognition of palatine state with 1967 border,that is almost recognition of isreal,for free.
2-Turkish silence,no more lectures by Erdogan or ugly.
3-Clinton improved remarks about need of opposition to negotiate with the government.
4-canceling of Clinton meeting with the opposition.
5-Banning pro HA newspaper from distribution in Syria.
6-working in a full military scale on the Iraqi borders with complete American silence.
7-Iraq giving up oil to Syria.
8-

4 months later and after everything he published supporting the uprising,they are declaring Rami a fake moukhabarat.
The real reason is because he declared that there are military gangs in Homs.
——————

I did not wrtite the statement.
It is available on FaceBook page of The Syrian Revolution website.

I trust they made this statement on the basis of evidence, the nature of which they did not state.

Interestingly the statement says that Rami AbdelRahman holds a fake passport!
I am not sure how they know that he has a fake passport.
I am not sure they are talking about the same person you are referring to, because they are providing the real name (Usama Sulaiman).

I hope this issue could be further clarified in a subsequent statement.

I do not edit bits of news.
It is upt to the readers to judge.

Interestingly, you viewed the washington post as a credible source of information on the events of last couple of days because it suited your expectations. Are you going to change your mind about that a few days from now if their next story turned out to be otherwise?
I mean like the Homsi’s did?

I agree with you, Turkish media is suddenly silent about Syria. No more news about the 8,0000 refugees, no more testimonies.
No word on the Istanbul meeting as if they want to forget it ever happened. This second failure has definitely convinced the US and Turkey that there is no other choice than Bashar to conduct the reforms.
I guess they will soon move to push the ‘regime’ and the local opposition in a serious dialog. I said it before: the x-opposition will use all its means to prevent the dialog to happen. This is maybe why there has been an increase in violence and attempts to inflame sectarian feelings. I hope they will fail.
The specter of a sectarian war has added more urgency to find a solution to the crisis..
I am hopeful.

In the same article he confidently states that Hama presently has a population of 530,000 including its surrounding villages. If this is correct, the city has lost a couple hundred thousands of residents since the 2009 census . . .

A more glaring example of Piccinin’s glib and glancing attention to events comes in the article excerpted above.

Please read over his reporting regarding Dera’a — as he calls it, “the fief of the Druze insurrection.”

Read what he has to say about the spark of the events in Dera’a, the detention and mistreatment of children: nothing whatsover. Not a word or indication. Just a Druze revolt, now over, everything fine.

More. Read his confident assertion that Bashar enjoys the solid and complete support of the forty percent of Syrians who are Christians (10%), Kurds, Jews, Shi’a and Alawi (20%).**

Finally, read his conclusion and feel the happiness that comes from knowing that everything is fine in Syria, except for fleeting and rare skirmishes led by the Middle East’s most fearsome and most powerful and most radicalized extremists, the Muslim Brotherhood, which skirmishes have zero impact on the government.

Dear REVLON
You make very good point. The Antalia conference seems to have been better planned and prepared with a smaller youth presence, but more effective.

I can understand Iman’s idealism and the way she lashes out and I think it is very brave and honest for her to air her concerns publicly without and even to touch in her criticism the fallibility of some who are considered by many is Icons of the uprising. The days of singular, can do all demi-gods is gone hopefully to no return. Their response to Iman will determine, in my opinion, the way they will be viewed by the youths, especially those on the liberal side of the opposition who are not affiliated with existing political groups.

I was pleased to read in her FB post that there were 200 youth invited. I was very concerned about the way they were treated, and I hope that someone gets the courage and smart to organize a conference of the youths that excludes most traditional opposition but invites a few only as witnesses and observers, may be they will pick up one thing or two from the young, while bringing some pragmatic view into the idealism of such a conferences.

In the same article he confidently states that Hama presently has a population of 530,000 including its surrounding villages. If this is correct, the city has lost a couple hundred thousands of residents since the 2009 census . . .

A more glaring example of Piccinin’s glib and glancing attention to events comes in the article excerpted above.

Please read over his reporting regarding Dera’a — as he calls it, “the fief of the Druze insurrection.”

Read what he has to say about the spark of the events in Dera’a, the detention and mistreatment of children: nothing whatsover. Not a word or indication. Just a Druze revolt, now over, everything fine.

More. Read his confident assertion that Bashar enjoys the solid and complete support of the forty percent of Syrians who are Christians (10%), Kurds, Jews, Shi’a and Alawi (20%).**

Finally, read his conclusion and feel the happiness that comes from knowing that everything is fine in Syria, except for fleeting and rare skirmishes led by the Middle East’s most fearsome and most powerful and most radicalized extremists, the Muslim Brotherhood, which skirmishes have zero impact on the government.

In the same article he confidently states that Hama presently has a population of 530,000 including its surrounding villages. If this is correct, the city has lost a couple hundred thousands of residents since the 2009 census . . .

A more glaring example of Piccinin’s glib and glancing attention to events comes in the article excerpted above.

Please read over his reporting regarding Dera’a — as he calls it, “the fief of the Druze insurrection.”

Read what he has to say about the spark of the events in Dera’a, the detention and mistreatment of children: nothing whatsover. Not a word or indication.

More. Read his confident assertion that Bashar enjoys the solid and complete support of the forty percent of Syrians who are Christians (10%), Kurds, Jews, Shi’a and Alawi (20%).**

Finally, read his conclusion and feel the happiness that comes from knowing that everything is fine in Syria, except for fleeting and rare skirmishes led by Muslim Brotherhood, which skirmishes have zero impact on the government.

Jad
The revolution knows who is the real Syrian from the fake ones.look at ther spoke person in Washington mr Abdulah,he is real,he is even going to get his green card stamped soon,he refused to go to any conference now because green card takes priority.Any one who is against the uprising is:
1-Baathist
2-fake Syrian
3-Scum
4-Menhaback
5-Bashari
6-Infidel

In the new democracy you are getting you will be getting new dictatorship,you will have the freedom to be labeled as any of the above1-6 if you don’t support the destruction of your country,which by the way can have different names according to مايطلبه الجمهور so fromالجمهوريه العربيه السوريه it was changed to الجمهوريه السوريه in 10 min to make little brother kaka happy because he was crying,but he was’t happy any way so they will change to الجمهوريه الصوريهand if he Cont to cry they will name it الجمهوريه الكوريه they will even change ther eyes and tape them upward to look korean so that brother kaka stops crying,and if brother Cont to cry they may change to the final and actual name الجمهوريه الخريه and then brother kaka will leave them and form his own الجمهوريه الكرديه and they will be left with الجمهوريه الفاضيه then brother kaka will stop crying.

I have been having no success in posting today — my commentary and questions were on the articles by Pierre Piccinin, which I found glib and fantastic.

Why was the Piccinin link and excerpt removed from the original post above?

Was it because his ‘excellent’ reporting contained such howlers as Hama-and-area population at 430,000, Bashar emjoying complete Kurdish support, or that the total of Christian, Shi’a, Jews, Alawi and Kurds who support Assad are 40%; of the population — that Alawi alone are 20%?

I found Piccinin’s article a sloppy mix of bad stats, glossed events and glib posturing — irresponsible happy talk with the depth of analysis of a clam.

The concluding lines of the vicissitudes article:

Without a doubt, the ‘Arab Spring,’ in Syria is nothing but a mirage, wrongly compared to Tunisian and Egyptian experiences; the authorities are sure of themselves, all is quiet in Damascus, and President al-Assad still has a bright future ahead of him.

Jad, I respect your opinions and your passion and your commitment to reason, but did you or do you still characterize Piccinin’s work as “excellent”?

Six days ago, the semi-official Day-Press News site offered a report on the final statement of the Consultative Meeting:

SYRIA- Three days of talks on reform in Syria have come to an end, with participants issuing a statement calling for the release of political prisoners and detainees who have not been convicted of any crime. The purpose of the talks was to discuss legislation and political reforms that would permit a multiparty system and end the decades-old emergency law that’s been the pillar of President al-Assad’s authoritarian regime.

The consultative meeting of Syria had discussed constitutional amendments, including the article providing that the Baath party is the leader of state and society, and found that many articles need revising.

I see the repeated calls here an on other discussion sites where government reform supporters urge the opposition to join the Dialogue. Yet, as far as I can tell from the official media, from SANA, from the PM’s office, from the President’s office, from the Cabinet office — there are no details whatsoever on the National Dialogue. There is no news on the next step. So, if some of the opposition inside, or activists or other interested parties would like to join the dialogue, or inquire about the dialogue, or seek further details on the dialoque, there is no indication whatsover as to what they should do.

In other words, there is no National Dialogue on the horizon, no news releases, no timetable, no website, no information available.

I hope someone can direct me to the details I have yet to find. I would rather be an incompetent researcher than conclude that the Dialogue is a mirage . . .

From my understanding of varied reports, the consultative meeting put in Sharaa’s hands the means to move forward. There shall have been an effort by the organizers to contact those who had not attended the consultative meeting, and that the government/organizers/administrators will be working to put the broad national conference together.

Where? When? How?

The meeting said in a statement that a legal political committee should be formed to review all items of the constitution and present suggestions to work out a new modern constitution which can guarantee the social justice, multi-party system, and the basic rights of human beings.
The meeting has also discussed the proposed drafts of laws of elections, parties and media, and agreed to ask the commissions that were recently formed to prepare the draft laws in order to put forward the final version for endorsement as soon as possible, according to the statement.
The statement said what has been presented were merely “documents and general directions that would be put forward to the national dialogue conference.”

This can be considered wonderful progress, I suppose — but I ask those who urge participation in the National Dialogue Conference to let us know how this is to be accomplished.

Another unsettling result of my research — as many know the government advertizes the Draft Media Law and the Draft Parties Law, among other bits of reform legislation under discussion. The draft laws are lodged at the website set up specifically for public consultation and discussion — http://www.youropinion.gov.sy

I have found the actual final statement of the Consultative Meeting on the website of Syria’s Japanese Embassy — nothing in it suggests the next step.

I would like to believe that the PM and team is busy planning and consulting and talking and assembling the plans for the National Dialogue, that Buthaina Shabaan is fussing over the press release and supporting documents, that the Palace minions are working night and day to pull the next step together.

But — where is the door, the sign, the text, the invitation, the structure, the place, the format, the process, the invitees . . . ?

I do not want to believe the the touted Conference is a mirage or a sham. Perhaps someone with much better research skills than I can dig up what I have missed.

Consider — if you are an opposition member newly released, facing a court date to respond to charges of ‘damaging the prestige of the state’ but yet deciding to chance dialogue, to take the beau risque — what do you do?

Excerpted from the Final Statement of the Consultative Conference on National Dialogue:

The Consultative Meeting paved the way for the convening of the National Dialogue Conference, stressing on keeping the contact with all parties, social figures, and political Syrian powers within and outside the country, to prepare jointly for the National Dialogue Conference, which will be held immediately after completing these contacts and with the utmost speed, emphasizing that this Consultative Meeting cannot replace the Comprehensive National Dialogue Conference, and considering all what was presented or proposed orally or in writing, to be documents and general trends that will be presented to the National Dialogue Conference.

If anyone who resisted dialogue now changes their mind, what do they do? How would they begin? Who do they call?

158. Dear Darryl
Some of the things that are said on Chrisitan TV Channels in the US can be as intersting buddy.
Does that change your views of Christianity or its believers?

I honestly did not get the point of your anecdotes!
Some statements that are made by “secular” officials of this regime are as outlandish to my taste.
To claim that Syrian army officers speak several foreign languages and to have fooled a spy German vessel is just an example; as per Taleb Ibrahim (3alawi or Chrisitan, I do not care).

“Right now, I want to know which one of you sycophants agrees with this disgraceful remark;

The Shi’ites in Iraq did the exact same thing, is that disgusting?

107. Amnesia

Why is it sectarianism only when Sunnis do it?

115. why-discuss said:

“Abu Umar

I have seen no elephant. Maybe you should lend me your deforming glasses”

Of course, and this will be your downfall. You can save your ridiculous propaganda for the menhebek laymen. The tens of thousands of Sunnis killed by the Asad mafia won’t be forgotten. The menhebek crowd should at least be honest with themselves and admit this. Your propaganda is no different than the Neocon canard, “they just hate us for our freedoms”, ignoring their imperialistic foreign policy which causes many Arabs and Muslims to hate the US. If you want to be a tyrant or an imperialist, fair enough, but don’t be surprised when there is blowback.

“116. Aboud said:

I’ve had it. Here I sit worried sick for my friends and relatives in other parts of Homs, and what do I see? Abu Umar who seems determined to rob Russia’s Czar Ivan for the title of “The Terrible”.”

No, that title goes to the Asad mafia.

“Dude, I am a Sunni Muslim. I want a specific set of people to step down, and a specific set of reforms to the country. I will not spend my life avenging the wrongs of 30,40,50 years past.”

Good for you. Go tell that to those have payed the price and these “wrongs” are still going on. Go visit the dungeons of Asad.

“If you keep up this tirade, then know that you stand alone. I despise Bashar and the Baathists, but not even I want them removed at the cost of tens of thousands of lives.”

A significant percentage of Syrian Sunnis feel the same way I do so I don’t stand alone. You can keep your liberal nonsense to yourself and tens of thousands of lives have already been lost. I think the protesters have already won and there is no need to protest anymore just like the Palestinians have already defeated the Zionists through demographics similar to how Mexicans have taken over California. It’s just a matter of time.

117. Tara said:

“Abu Umar,

Kindly give us your definition of sectarian Sunni”

All sects and groups are sectarian. The Alawis, Druze, Christians, Shi’a all act in their interest, so I see no reason that Sunnis shouldn’t do the same.

124. N.Z. said:

“I’ve never felt disturbed reading the commentary section, but, after reading few of Abu Umar venomous comments, and some of the responses, I felt nauseous, discomfort and unease with is comments.”

Are you going to pat yourself on the back now? Hama and Tadmur won’t be forgotten.

134. jad said:

“With all due respect to all those who are looking for a scapegoat of our own ills, Abu Omar is a Palestinian national and Afram is a ‘Syrian/Iraqi’ Syriac/Assyrian, both represent the deep hatred they hold through their own personal experience from all our region’s ills.
Abu Omar, The Palestinian, represent the unjust treatment of everybody around him, from the Zionists occupation to their own brothers including Syrians, even his name to those who know about sectarianism has a sectarian meaning.”

So Jad, why don’t you apply the same standard to many of the Syrian Sunnis who hate the regime for what it did to them, even if you are pro-regime and support suppressing this revolt. There’s a difference between the propaganda and tactical intelligence and when your propaganda supercedes, you get the Iraq war with no weapons of mass destruction. Asad should have seen this coming.

You got it. Conferrence of the revolution youth that exclude most traditional opposition figures except few selects for advisory and support role (Maleh, Ghalioun, Dallila, kilo, and this girl Iman Albaghdadi, to name few) would be the best thing to happen so we don’t have to hear about dropping Arab from the Syrian Arab Republic and all the other non-sense.

Revlon, I am also appalled by the ” subconscious manners ” displayed by some of the external or internal opposition. They come off gruff and unsophisticated to be subtle. I see this subconscious manners so much prevailing in public offices in Syria. Do we need a manners revolution too?

The problem with youth conferrence is, if it to happen, it would make the most effective figures in this revolution visible to the regime. Sincere entity, perhaps foreign one such as Turkey, should supervise and guarantee them lack of retaliation and I don’t know how that is even possible with this murderous regime.

Don’t insult my intelligence and spare me your fake “mumaana”. If you are sincere in this, then condemn the Alawis who collaborated with the French colonialists, including Asad’s grandfather who praised the Zionists and blamed the Palestinians which Landis mentioned in his interview with the NYT. This is exactly like the Zionist propaganda which blames the Palestinians for refusing to become refugees in their own land , or Hafez al-Asad’s collaboration with the Americans in Gulf War I, or those who were renditioned by the CIA to be tortured in Syria.

And you talk about the how Saudis gets to start a sectarian war with the Shi’as of Iran and Iraq, when the many Iraqi Shi’ites get the Jewish Neocons to hatch the Iraq War for them and when they rode in on American tanks and how their leaders like Al-Ja’fari, the Hakims, Al-Maliki, etc. were laughing and smiling with the likes of Bush, Rumsfeld and the Zionist Wolfowitz, while declaring Abu Bakr and Umar to be infidels. That’s not sectarian. Even the Iranian government collaborated with it’s proxies like Hakim’s group with the Americans in as they did in Afghanistan. So much for mumaana, and why hasn’t Hasan Nasrallah spoken about this if he is sincere in claiming to be anti-imperialist. This doesn’t mean that all Iraqi Shi’ites collaborated with the Americans in Iraq. So please Darryl, spare me your hypocrisy about sectarianism and America and the Saudi regime’s collaboration with the Americans has been condemned by many Sunnis, many of whom rest in Saudi dungeons, as many Sunnis condemned and fought CIA/Mossad governments like Egypt and Jordan. When other sects call out their own traitors then you can use the “American” card.

As for the second half of your statement, are you using Neocon propaganda: He wears American shoes or he benefits from Western inventions, so he must grovel to American or Zionist foreign policy? Who told you that Arabs or Muslims haven’t invented anything and did you know that the American government place many restrictions in this regard towards its client regimes. As for your last sentence, then why don’t you apply this statement to your kind and practise birth control. If the Arab Christians are complaining about demographics, then do as the Haredim. Reminds of the white supremacists who praise abortion among blacks, but condemn it for their own.

I do not have a problem with any public expression of admiration and love.. I actually like it and I am surprised that it is not natural for you. I find above statements, ah, so…romantic.

Have you ever seen the physical expression of admiration, love, and worship when Mnhebaks kneel to kiss Bashar’s image on the ground? Now, that is way …beyond
romantic. Any intellectual term for that? I would love to hear it.

“1-The immediate Syrian recognition of palatine state with 1967 border,that is almost recognition of isreal,for free.
2-Turkish silence,no more lectures by Erdogan or ugly.
3-Clinton improved remarks about need of opposition to negotiate with the government.
4-canceling of Clinton meeting with the opposition.
5-Banning pro HA newspaper from distribution in Syria.
6-working in a full military scale on the Iraqi borders with complete American silence.
7-Iraq giving up oil to Syria.”

Indeed politics is brewing under the table. I like your analysis. I hear nothing except from useless medica like aljazeera which continues to prodcast lies.

“I think the protesters have already won and there is no need to protest anymore just like the Palestinians have already defeated the Zionists through demographics similar to how Mexicans have taken over California. It’s just a matter of time.”

You can not defeat them on the ground so you defeat them by bringing more babies into this world. Who advised this “brilliant” strategy?

BIRTH CONTROL is what everyone is saying and talking about. They discuss the need for it and the dangers of population growth in the Middle East with its limited resources of water and employment.

From where you gonna feed, bring water, and find jobs for all of these added to the society every year?

201. Dear Tara, I do not know exactly whom she meant when she criticized some of the respected figures, but I have a hunch that she was hinting at Ghalyoun and Maleh!
Ghalyoun was quick to reject the idea of a shadow government in the opening speech, thus pre-empting further deliberations, while Maleh’s list won the elections!

I believe all participants would benefit from reading a manual for running and participating in public meetings.
Many would also benefit from courses and workshops on improvement in interpersonal and group communications and professional means to resolve interpersonal conflicts.
Actually, it might be a good idea to hold such sessions for participants the day before meetings.

A conference for youth inside Syria, is out of the question under the circumstances.
Until things change on the ground, conferences in exile are the way to progress.

Manners revolution!
I believe it is already happening!
Ms Albaghdadi’s critique is an example of what this revolution is promising to our political life; critical minds instead of clapping hands.
She and other vocal free minds will help smooth our rough ends.

Revlon
Nice,this is a revolution on the revolution,which will be followed by a revolution on the revolution on the revolution….we will be in inter-revolutionary state like غلمان مخلدين . I think you are one of the people she was hinting that we should have revolution against.
Cheer.

You can not defeat them on the ground so you defeat them by bringing more babies into this world. Who advised this “brilliant” strategy?”

What sect do you belong to and are you pro-regime? I meant that this is one of the strategies, in addition to others, and many groups have used it, even non-religious people, and you can hear many Western politicians and leaders lament the low White birthrate, so spare me your hypocrisy. Look at California where the Mexicans are taking over their ancestral homeland.

“BIRTH CONTROL is what everyone is saying and talking about.”

No, you’re the one talking about birth control because the high birth rate of the Sunnis bothers you.

” They discuss the need for it and the dangers of population growth in the Middle East with its limited resources of water and employment.”

So go preach birth control to the Israeli government which sponsors hundreds of thousand of Haredim, because of their very high birth rate, something which even many secular Israelis are proud of, despite the friction between the two groups. If the minorities in the Middle East are complaining, then let them increase their birth rate. I agree that the limited resources and lack of water are problems, but the main problem is the lack of distribution of wealth squandered by the criminal leaders backed by the American government.

“From where you gonna feed, bring water, and find jobs for all of these added to the society every year?”

Let the Arab leaders distribute the trillions that they are hoarding as a first step.

Even your beloved regime uses this strategy when they have allowed Shi’ite clerics to spread their sect among Syrian Sunnis, so they can be loyal to the regime. How do you think the Europeans occupied North and South America? With “democracy” or with the sword and demographical warfare. You can read the words of that great “democrat”, Thomas Jefferson, on manifest destiny. Manifest destiny that the Sunnis will take over Syria.

Funeral procession today for the inhabitants of Khaldia, Homs, killed by the regime’s thugs last night;

Notice that the intimidation tactics only ensured a bigger turnout.

Later, this funeral was fired on by the security forces. It is still unclear how many casualties there were.

“Manifest destiny that the Sunnis will take over Syria.”

It’s going to be pretty hard to take over anything when only you and a few fanatics share your crazy dreams.

Let me get one thing clear to you. Right now I stand shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors against the regime’s thugs. But if you or your ilk ever try to harm a Alawi just because of their sect, you will find me and my neighbors in your way, and we will beat you back with the same sticks and rocks we used to beat back the shabiha.

REVLON @ 208
Many NGO’s and IGO’s in addition to national development agencies from many EU members, US (USAID), and Japan offer workshops exactly in the line you are describing. However, if you try to propose these governance/democratization workshops in Syria, you will have many on both opposition and pro-regime people shouting interference, spy recruitment, and sabotage, if they did not find a sinister Zionist connection these workshops and training courses. (I am expecting to be chewed for this within few comments).

I am arrogantly now stating that if any EXPAT, criticized me for what I just wrote, I would simply throw back at them the label of biggest hot-air balloon hypocrite. Because she/he are benefiting in their daily lives from the outcome of countless governance and democracy management workshops just like that tough to their city council members and other government officials, but are arrogantly denying these benefits to their country folks. In Syria, it is ignorance, compounded by 50 years of anti-democratization propaganda that make some of my own relatives say, “we do not need their lessons in democracy”. Damn it, they need those lessons far more than they think.

Tara
If you are proud of associating yourself with such low class,why don’t let your dtr read his high class stuff(scum,f f f…),and please stop this menhabak crap(I am using your friend language)keep using it makes you look mentally retarded.you try to make your self class,but you support class-less minds ,what does that make you?.People like Nour,Jad,OTW…are the real class,your new boy fried is felthy mouth and felthy brain,you are proud of that ???you probably suffer from the same syndrome :Ba’ath Menhebak Obsession Syndome.

“are the real class,your new boy fried is felthy mouth and felthy brain,you are proud of that ???”

ROFL!!!! Dude, never in my life have I seen anyone so openly display their insecurities for all the world to see. I thought this was a website about Syrian affairs, not some place for the menhebaks to disclose their inadequacies.

What happened to the speech Besho was supposed to make this week? Don’t tell me junior is sulking now that the Qataris aren’t talking to him?

Junior is so clueless. By time his speech writers have finished polishing up his speech, events have overtaken him and made him look, yet again, completely not-in-control. No problem, maybe he can send more menhebaks to throw food at embassies.

The shabiha scum have been so inept in Homs, it’s almost enough to make one feel sorry for them. Almost.

“If you are proud of associating yourself with such low class,why don’t let your dtr read his high class stuff(scum,f f f…),and please stop this menhabak crap(I am using your friend language)keep using it makes you look mentally retarded.you try to make your self class,but you support class-less minds ,what does that make you?.People like Nour,Jad,OTW…are the real class,your new boy fried is felthy mouth and felthy brain,you are proud of that ???you probably suffer from the same syndrome :Ba’ath Menhebak Obsession Syndome.”

Why do you expect people who have tens of thousands of their relatives to stay quiet and who have been tortured by the Syrian mukhabarat to stay silent. You certainly didn’t accuse any of the cyber-shabiha, who said stuff much worse than me of having a “felthy mouth”.

Aboud is standing in Alhadara street with rocks and sticks protecting Alawis and Christians,no need to worry no more.he will crap the hell out of any one who will try to harm them.The wolf is protecting the sheep.To all the sectarian criminals in
Homs Aboud is ther pee in your pants:
زعم الفرزدق ان سيقتل مربعا ابشر بطول سلامة يا مربع

Why do all the menhebaks here seem to have the same level of English? Felthy? I might be upset if Syria No Konfidence had accused me of having a “filthy” mouth, but “felthy”….? 🙂

“Aboud is standing in Alhadara street with rocks and sticks protecting Alawis and Christians,”

Um no, right now I don’t need to. It’s not Hadara street that’s under attack, it’s the rest of Homs. I’m quite calm right now because as the day goes on, it’s obvious that all the regime managed to do is dig its own grave even deeper. The neighborhoods have coordinated with each other and successfully blocked off much of the shabiha’s attempts to storm them.

Alas, in a city like Homs, it is impossible to keep an eye on every side street. That’s what the police were supposed to be for. The fact that they have taken sides with one group against another, is a sad remark on how low the professionalism of the Syrian Security forces has been allowed to sink.

Anyway, apparently alot of families have been packing up and leaving from Hadara street. All government departments have been closed for a third day in a row. A general strike is being observed city wide. Not the outcome the shabiha scum were hoping for.

Unlike some here, discreetly cheering the despicable killing rampage in Homs by the regime thugs ” shabiha “, Qatar’s government is to be commended, standing on the right side of history.

To give even a hint of support to the brutal Mafia and its barbaric way of dealing with the upheaval, in Homs specifically, is akin to encouraging civil war.

The incident of the three Alawites killed, a fabrication or reality, and highlighted by the the regime is suspicious. The steps taking to bring to a halt, is a further proof, of what they want to create, to only further their barbarism and hegemony.

Rubbing salt on open wound, shooting on mourners in a procession means that the Mafia has totally lost it. To play on the sectarian string every now and then, means the end is near for this brutality that knows no shame. Ayman Kurdiah another general defected from Homs, in his statement he clearly said that the regime is unleashing his men on citizens to create civil unrest.

Sectarian sarcasm at this stage is irresponsible, Abu umar the Palestinian, and the other Christian/Iraqi/… at this stage of the unrest, confirms without a shadow of doubt where this Mafia and its supporters, Ignorantly or knowingly are leading the country and its people.

“It’s going to be pretty hard to take over anything when only you and a few fanatics share your crazy dreams.

Let me get one thing clear to you. Right now I stand shoulder to shoulder with my neighbors against the regime’s thugs. But if you or your ilk ever try to harm a Alawi just because of their sect, you will find me and my neighbors in your way, and we will beat you back with the same sticks and rocks we used to beat back the shabiha.

Am I making myself perfectly clear to you?”

I couldn’t help myself imagining you with a super hero costume
saying these words:

(don’t you worry syrian minoriteis, Aboud and his sticks and stones carrying friends will defend you and your properties)

Have I ever said that you are Mnhebak. I do understand that some suppoerters are not necessarily mnhebak. I am sorry that we sound obssessed about Mnhebak syndrome. It really is a syndrome. Somehow, It is etched in our psych. I believe it would take us quite sometime to be able to recover from the mental damage those physical images of Mnhebak have caused us.

I am proud of being a supporter of the revolution. Not the violent sectarian part. I am extremely humbled by those courageous peaceful demonstrators that we see on daily basis leaving their homes and loved ones risking to be killed or tortured. All for our freedom and dignity.

Hehe, if it was just me there then the people of Hadara might as well kiss their butts goodbye. But overwhelmingly, the people of Homs have not let sectarianism drive them and blind them with hate.

It is now becoming all too clear, who here on this website is hoping and praying for a sectarian conflict to save junior’s hide. These are the kinds of people we are dealing with, perverted individuals who would sacrifice hundreds of their Alawite brethren to further junior’s rule.

I find it shocking that I seem to care more about what happens to the Alawites in Homs, than the menhebak foreigners on this website.

Mayyaleh just announced that the Syrian Central Bank reserves are 600 billion SYP. If the exchange rate is at 50 SYP to the dollar that is 12 billion dollars and therefore it is 8 billion dollars less than the previous posting of the reserves. If the repression is costing 8 billion dollars in four months then it is at a rate of two billion per month.
EHSANI and others do you have an idea of these news and what they mean.

First, I am not a pro regime. Your labeling anyone who does not agree with your sectarian agenda as pro-regime is a sign of intellectual inability to answer and a limited imagination.

Population growth and using it as a strategy is a harmful strategy. Do not give me the Mexican example. Talk to me about the population growth and how you gonna feed or find work for these people in the Middle East, especially in Syria that is the country I was born in.

AS for you saying that i am bothered by the growing birth rates among Sunnis. YES I am bothered by that because it showed how far the Sunnis are from reality. Where you gonna feed them and how you gonna find them employment? Where you gonna find them water?

When I asked you where you gonna feed them you answered the most naive answer of them all: you asked me to “let the Arab leaders give back the trillions they stole.” AS if I am the one controlling their wealth!

Mr. Abu Umar it is mostly Sunni Arab leaders we have except for al-Assad and al-Maliki of Iraq. The Sunni leaders are the ones stealing the wealth and not distributing it: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qadhafi…etc… (al-Assad family took the wealth of Syria also do not think that I am sparing anyone, I speak the truth and not like you Mr. Abu Umar)

As for Ali Ibn Abi Taleb and if he is a war criminal: show me where he committed crimes against humanity and I will label him for your sake as a war criminal.

By the way, you and the rest of the Sunnis NEVER answered my question that asks you if you consider the Alawis infidels/Fuffar or not as your hero the WAR CRIMINAL Ibn Taymiyah had issued?

Since you brought Ali Ibn Abi Taleb to the conversation thinking you are bothering me…I will give you some of words of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb so you get mad more:

European road map to make Syria the new Libya:
1st, we need the American should be clear of their stand
2nd, we need the UN resolution against Syria but Russia and China should ‘shut it up’
3rd, we need to coordinate with Tukey (for the invasion)
4th, we need those backward Arabs to give us the green light
5th, 6th, 7th………Really?!
Then we get another Libya that will bomb the hell out of it and after a year of bombing and destroying the country we ask the opposition and Besho to sit and negotiate….

“DAMASCUS, (SANA) – Governor of Central Bank of Syria Dr. Adib Mayyaleh affirmed on Tuesday that the Syrian Pound is strong and that the Central Bank’s cash reserves almost equals the amount of cash put into circulation which amounts to SYP 600 billion, noting that cash surplus in banks increased by 12% by July 5th 2011.

In a statement to SANA, Mayyaleh said that the Central Bank’s surplus is around SYP 197.6 billion, 92% of it in Syrian Pounds and the rest in foreign currency, affirming that the amount of cash at the Central Bank refutes the allegations that it can’t pay salaries and feed ATMs for another month, adding that the crisis showed the Syrian people’s confidence in the Syrian Pound and banking sector.

He pointed out that during the early stage of the events in Syria, banks witnessed withdrawals caused by fears from the events, but deposits returned to normal afterwards, adding that banks were fully prepared to cover their clients’ withdrawals.

Mayyaleh pointed out that campaigns for supporting the Syrian Pound were voluntary and spontaneous gestures, and not at the request of the Syrian authorities as some media sources are claiming.

He said that deposits increased during the 2nd quarter of 2011 by 4% compared with the end of the 1st quarter, noting that thee Central Bank’s deposits are dedicated to financing investment, tourism and green projects, in addition to small and medium projects.

Regarding the news of investments fleeing Syria, Mayyaleh said that most foreign investors announced that they will continue their activities in Syria despite the current circumstances, and that they are betting on the solid foundations of Syrian economy and stability of the Syrian Pound’s exchange rate and the success of the reform program.”

Again, I urge, through this forum all my Syrian brothers to reconsider their stance towards this regime, after the disgusting and disturbing way it tried to start a sectarian conflict in order to save itself from the popular uprising.

After having failed to do just that in Lattakia, Banyas and Jableh a couple of moths ago, it has now turned it’s attention to Homs. I don’t think it’s a secret what the mukhabart was doing. They were arming Alawi villages at the start of the conflict and telling them the Sunnis were coming to massacre you. The poor villagers setup road blocks and guarded their villages all night long, but of course no such attack ever came. Same thing was tried in Lattakia, armed shabiha going into neighborhoods and telling them the other sect was about to attack. The only people doing the attacking and shooting were the shabiha themselves however.

I think it’s becoming clear, that this regime, which is made up of very corrupt, unscrupulous and selfish individuals is willing to sacrifice the lives of thousands of people, and cause a civil war in order to maintain their status of privilege, wealth and power over Syria. They have no issue with burning the entire, if it would help them stay in power, Gaddafi school of thinking.

This is why I urge all Syrians to dump this regime, it is incapable of reform, and indeed very dangerous for this nation if it continues to rule. Support the secular opposition of the Damascus Declaration for example, who have been for many years calling for a pluralistic democratic secular Syria, and have paid the price for that by years in detention and jail. Do what’s right for your nation, protect it from civil war, insure that your kids get a better life and a better future than you did. Dump Bashar and his regime, switch to the side that has real conviction in a free Syria, and is willing to pay with their lives and protest to see it happen.

after following what is happening in Syria and Middle East. It is a shame they have not learnt from the middle east’s onlt democracy.. Israel.

The safest place to be an arab right now is Haifa, yes there is discrimination, but they are not getting shot in the streets, they can go to university, pray, leave the county, get a job,access to top notch medical care, no wonder the last thing the Israeli arabs want to be ruled by Arab dictators

I said clearly, that the regime is sectarian. So are you asking something else?

You need to quit going off on silly tangents and focus on the regime. They are sectarian, yes. So have civil discussions about that. You will find most on this forum appreciative of that point of view, but spending long amounts of time typing up all sorts of things to vent your frustration is a waste of time. Nobody will pay attention to the details of what you wish to say.

Focus now. Short posts. Non-sectarian. Again, don’t invoke Islam when speaking against minorities. Islam does not teach us to speak this way.

Tara,

“Have you ever seen the physical expression of admiration, love, and worship when Mnhebaks kneel to kiss Bashar’s image on the ground? Now, that is way …beyond romantic. Any intellectual term for that? I would love to hear it.”

Wikipedia has a nice explanation of worship, and how the word is used. Some religions see adoration for God and veneration only for saints, though some consider veneration as simply according recognition of a person’s excellence. Different uses of the word exist, but you could say that some of Bashar’s supporters show veneration towards him (the kind whose actions seem like what we call worship). The article continues:

“Orthodox Judaism and orthodox Sunni Islam hold that for all practical purposes veneration should be considered the same as prayer; Orthodox Judaism (arguably with the exception of some Chasidic practices), orthodox Sunni Islam, and most kinds of Protestantism forbid veneration of saints or angels, classifying these actions as akin to idolatry.”

Note the last word, idolatry. To Muslims, and many others, it isn’t acceptable to show this much affection for a person. At least, not Bashar.

OBAMA’S STRATEGIC FAILURE IN SYRIA THREATENS WIDER CONFLICT IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Posted on July 18th, 2011 under general with 35 replies.

Over the weekend, the Washington Post “reported”, see here, that the Obama Administration remains incapable of coherent strategy regarding Syria and the broader balance of power in the Middle East. Senior Administration officials want to treat Syria, like Iran, as the object of an ongoing competition to shape the regional balance of power. They are oblivious to the reality that both Iran and Syria are critical subjects of that competition, with legitimate interests of their own and considerable reservoirs of domestic and regional legitimacy from which to draw.

Ongoing turmoil in Syria is increasingly engaging the Western commentariat in a not terribly nuanced discussion, focused around a series of predictable questions: Will the Assad government fall? If so, what will follow it? What would the Assad government’s implosion mean for the regional balance of power—and, especially, for the Islamic Republic of Iran? Against this backdrop, we commend the deeply informed and sophisticated analysis offered by the Conflict Forum’s Alastair Crooke in a recent Op Ed, “Unfolding the Syrian Paradox”, see here, published in the Asia Times.

Alastair stipulates that there is a genuine constituency for reform in Syria. But, as he points out, much of this constituency continues to see President Bashar al-Assad as an ally to that end, not as an implacable adversary. (In this camp, Alastair specifically and correctly identifies “the populations of Damascus, Aleppo, the middle class, the merchant class, and non-Sunni minorities”, who believe “there is no credible ‘other’ who could bring reform” to Syria). Given this reality, the narrative of the Syrian unrest as “an uprising of non-violent, liberal protest against tyranny that has been met only by repression” is, in Alastair’s view, “a complete misreading, deliberately contrived to serve quite separate ambitions.”

Alastair argues, arrestingly, that the roots of the current turmoil in Syria actually lie in Iraq, in two distinct ways: “Firstly, they extend back into the thinking of the Sunni jihadi trend, as advanced by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, which evolved in Iraq, surfaced violently in Lebanon”—Alastair offers an illuminating account of the 2007 battle between Sunni militants and the Lebanese army for control over the Naher al-Barad refugee camp in northern Lebanon—“and was transposed into Syria with the return of many Syrian Salafist veterans at the ‘end’ of the Iraq conflict.” He elaborates:

“Zarqawi’s al-Qaeda affiliation is not of particular significance to Syria today, but the Zarqawi ‘Syria’ doctrine that evolved in Iraq, is crucial. Zarqawi, like other Salafists, rejected the artificial frontiers and national divisions inherited from colonialism. Instead, he insisted on calling the aggregate of Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan, and parts of Turkey and Iraq by its old name: ‘Bilad a-Sham’. Zarqawi and his followers were virulently anti-Shi’ite—much more so than early al-Qaeda—and asserted that a-Sham was a core Sunni patrimony that had been overtaken by the Shi’ites.

According to this narrative, the Sunni heartland, Syria, had been usurped for the last 40 years by the Shi’ite al-Assads (Alawites are an orientation within Shi’ism). The rise of Hezbollah, facilitated in part by Assad, further eroded Lebanon’s Sunni character, too. Likewise, they point to Assad’s alleged undercutting of former Iraqi prime minister Ayad Allawi as an act which had delivered Iraq to the Shi’ites, namely to Malaki. From this deep grievance at Sunni disempowerment, Zarqawi allies developed a doctrine in which Syria and Lebanon were no longer platforms from which to launch jihad, but the sites for jihad (against the Shi’ites as much as others).

The Syrian Salafists eventually were to return home, nursing this grievance. Many of them—Syrians and non-Syrians—settled in the rural villages lying adjacent to Lebanon, and similarly to their confreres in Naher al-Barad, they married locally. It is these elements—as in Lebanon in 2007—who are the mainspring of armed violence against the Syrian security services. Unlike Egypt or Tunisia, Syria has experienced hundreds of dead and many hundreds of wounded members of the security forces and police. (Daraa is different: the armed element consists of Bedouin who migrate between Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Syria).

It is difficult to establish numbers, but perhaps 40,000-50,000 Syrians fought in Iraq. With their marriage into local communities, their support base is more extensive than actual numbers that travelled to Iraq. Their objective in Syria is similar to that in Iraq: to establish the conditions for jihad in Syria through exacerbating sectarian animosities—just as Zarqawi did in Iraq through his attacks on the Shi’ites and their shrines. Likewise, they seek a foothold in north-eastern Syria for a Salafist Islamic emirate, which would operate autonomously from the state’s authority. This segment to the opposition is not interested in ‘reform’ or democracy: They state clearly and publicly that if it costs two million lives to overthrow the ‘Shi’ite’ Alawites the sacrifice will have been worth the loss. Drafting of legislation permitting new political parties or expanding press freedom are matters of complete indifference for them.”

Secondly, Alastair argues, “bitterness in Syria is also linked to a profound sense of Sunni grievance felt by certain Arab states at Sunni political disempowerment following Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki’s rise to power in Iraq, for which they hold Assad responsible”. Alastair rightly describes this perception as “inaccurate”. When we saw President Assad shortly before Iraq’s last election, he noted that Syria had its own disagreements with Maliki. Furthermore, he stressed how difficult the situation in Iraq had made his own efforts to ensure that sectarian tensions did not undermine Syria’s basic stability. Alastair elaborates:

“The marginalization of Sunnis in Iraq, Syria and more recently in Lebanon has aggrieved the Saudis and some Gulf states as much as it did the Salafists…Saudi Arabia and Gulf states explicitly trade on fears of Shi’ite ‘expansionism’ to justify Gulf Cooperation Council repression in Bahrain and intervention in Yemen, and the ‘voice’ of assertive sectarianism is being megaphoned into Syria too. Sunni clerical voices are touting the Arab ‘awakening’ as the ‘Sunni revolution’ in riposte to the Shi’ite revolution of Iran. In March, al-Jazeera broadcast a sermon by Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, which raised the banner of the restoration of Sunni ascendency in Syria. Qaradawi…was joined by Saudi cleric Saleh Al-Luhaidan who urged, ‘Kill a third of Syrians so the other two-thirds may live.’

Clearly, many of the protesters are in traditional centers of Sunni irredentism, such as Homs and Hama in Syria, comprised of aggrieved Sunnis seeking the Alawites ouster, and a return to Sunni ascendency. These are not Salafists, but mainstream Syrians for whom the elements of Sunni ascendency, irredentism and reformism have conflated into a sole demand. This is a very frightening prospect for the quarter of the Syrians that form the non-Sunni minorities.”

Just as importantly, Alastair notes that “all of this underlines the other dimension to events in Syria: its strategic position as the keystone of the arch spanning from southern Lebanon to Iran. It is this role that those in the US and Europe that concern themselves primarily with Israel’s security have sought to displace” since the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Alastair seriously doubts that they will succeed; on this point, he offers some trenchant observations about the Syrian military and security apparatus:

“The Syrian army lacks experience in counter-insurgency…Tanks and armored brigades are wholly unsuited for crowd control operations, especially in narrow, congested areas. It’s no surprise that such military movements killed unarmed protesters that were caught in the middle, inflaming tensions with genuine reformists and disconcerting the public.

Initially, army esteem was affected by the criticism. Though the stories of army mass desertion are disinformation, there was some erosion of military self-confidence at lower levels of command. And public confidence in the military wobbled, too, as casualties mounted. But it was a “wobble” that ended with the dramatic conflict around Jisr al-Shagour in mid-June, near the Turkish border. Just as the Lebanese nation rallied behind its army in the conflict of Naher al-Bared, so too the Syrians rallied behind their army in the face of the Salafist attack firstly on the police, and subsequently on the army and on state institutions in Jisr. And, as the details of the Jisr al-Shagour conflict unrolled before the public, sentiment turned bitter towards the insurrectionists, possibly decisively…Army self-confidence and honor is on the rise, and a majority of the public now see in a way that was less evident earlier that Syria faces a serious threat unrelated to any reform agenda.

Alastair then explains how these developments reinforce the Assad government’s traditional sources of durability:

“Sentiment has tipped away from thinking in terms of immediate reform. Public opinion is polarized and embittered towards the Salafists and their allies. Leftist, secular opposition circles are distancing themselves from the Salafist violence—the inherent contradiction of the divergent aspirations of the ‘exiles’ and the Salafists, from the Syrian majority consensus, is now starkly manifest…In this atmosphere, dramatic reform might well be viewed by the president’s supporters as signaling weakness, even appeasement to those responsible for killing so many police and army officers at Jisr. Not surprisingly, Assad chose to use [his speech earlier this month] to speak to his constituency: to state the difficulties and threats facing Syria, but also to lay out the road map towards an exit from danger and towards substantive reform.

Western comment overwhelmingly has described the speech as ‘disappointing’ or ‘short on specifics’, but this misses the point. Whereas earlier, a dramatic reform shock, such as advocated by Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu might, at a certain point, have had a transformatory “shock” effect; it is doubtful that it would achieve that now. On the contrary, any hint of concessions having being wrested from the government by the type of violence seen at Jisr would likely anger Assad’s own constituency; and yet improbably would never transcend the categorical rejection of the militant opposition seeking to exacerbate tensions to the point of making the West determined to intervene.

By carefully setting out of some very deliberate steps and processes ahead, Assad has correctly read the mood of the majority in Syria. Time will be the judge, but Assad seems set to emerge from a complicated parallel series of challenges directed towards him from movements and states which reflect a range of grievances, special interests, and motivations…If, as seems likely, Assad does emerge from all the challenges, the tenor of his recent response to Arab and European envoys suggests that reform will be pursued, in part, to protect Syria’s resistance ethos from such challenges in the future…Now ‘reform’ is the existential external front.

[I]f the intent of all this was intended to shift the strategic balance in the Middle East, it has not worked. It is unlikely that Assad will emerge more pliable to Western challenges—any more than he has in the past.”

Alastair’s analysis is worth reading in its entirety—it offers many more rich insights on Syrian politics, U.S. policy, the role of Syrian exiles, Gulf Arab machinations, and other important subjects.

Why would the government do that?
Why would they ignite a civil war that will most probably take them away and kill all their people?
This kind of unrealistic propaganda is nothing but the conspiracy theories many criticize, showing only one side doing the bad stuff and the other side is an angle.
It doesn’t make any sense.
There is a need to acknowledge the armed gangs existence on both sides and the way they are using us all in their destructive conflict and also to recognize that all the crimes happening in Syria are not the act of one side but two.
The civil war is the will of the radicals not the government since the government can’t win anything from a civil war but a lawless country like Somalia and it’s impossible that the government go that way.

I do not want to defend the policies of al-Assad but what al-Assad did in Lattakia, Jableh and Baniyas prevented a huge sectarian massacre.

It is not a secret that the Sunnis of Lattakia, Banyas and Jableh rose against al-Assad. It is also not a secret that they wanted to battle.

It is not a secret what they did in Banyas, attacking Alawis busses for example and killing few like ambushing the officers could have triggered huge things. And, in Lattakia when they came out in al-Sheikhdaher area and they started breaking things and burning stuff where the Alawis came to battle them too, that day could have became ugly fast.

The security forces is what prevented some ugly things. Sectarian slogans were all over and things were slated according to sect from the beginning. This is what is going on in Qatana and Hums, i.e: the mixed cities (people from different sects).

The Assad police/Mukhabarat/Army confronted the Sunnis in the coast violently and many died as we know. Weather this was right or wrong, I am not trying to argue here, but the decisive strong action of the Assad security forces is what prevented the sectarian massacre that was slated in the coast.

The forceful separation between the Sunni demonstrators and the rest was good for the city of Lattakia for example. It did not burn and get destroyed so far.

Now Sunni demonstrators are boxed in and guarded by the army and the security forces, because if they go out in the open and find the other party that is willing and ready to fight we will have a blood bath.

No for any type of blood spilling in Syria. Calls should be made to restore calm and plan smartly for the days to come because realities had changed in Syria with the death of 3000 of its sons.

Every Syrian should look into this chaos and call for an immediate halt to all forms of protest and violence. The people should go home, work, school and play sports, and REAL POLITICAL PARTIES should come out and lead the country into the future.

Real political parties from within Syria is what is going to make the country stay whole and not divide.

The presence of the army/police/security forces NOW is important to RESTORE ORDER.

What Syria want now is the immediate stop of all forms of public disobedience and violent. Syria need smart people to lead through this hard time and this violent present and future.

The death of love in a family
Once upon a time ther was a family of five brothers :Umer,Ali,Tony,Barzan and
Maroof.they lived together on a farm and they were making living from olive trees and making and selling olive oil.Their father Hafez was very tough and he did a lot of things wrong then he died.the only good things he did was he was able to keep them together and to some degree love their family.he didt let his kids get married he was worried that his dtr in laws will make them out of his control.Hafez also had an argument with his little son kaled 30years ago who was trying to disobey him,and he killed him.they had neighbors who really didt like them,kawaja shahnaz was to the north of their house,izra Cohen has been living in the south of their house,he actually took over some of their backyard,mola Najad lived a couple of houses to the east,and Shiek Hamad acouple of houses to their south.after their father death Ali took over the house,he was’t ready he actually wanted to be a dr but was forced into it.he married Fatima dtr of their neighbor Najad.Omer married Shahnaz dtr then he married Moza,Hamad’s dtr as second wife.Barzan married Shereen.Tony and Maaroof stayed single.Shahnaaz and Moza kept nagging Omer:you are not a real man,you are the biggest guy in the house and yet you let Ali control you,shame on you,استحي عشواربك…Ali even gives half of the olive oil to Rami your coz,they kept washing his brain.Ali felt what shahnaz and Moza were doing he told Omer:bro,let’s talk and solve our diff like bros,Omer refused…shahnaz and Moza convince him to try to kill his brothers,shahnaz told him:you have to take kaled blood,or else you will sleep on the floor…One morning Omer walk up carrying a big kitchen knife he went to Ali’s room trying to kill him,he jumped out of the window ,Tony came out of his room to see what happened ,Omar slashed him with the knife,he didt die ,Barzan and Maaroof ran out of the house and got scared.
Tony migrated and settled in nietherland and married a dutch girlfriend,Barazan cut part of the farm and built a house for himself with a big wall separating him from Omar,he live their with sheren and had 12 kids.Ali cut another part of the farm and built his house with Fatima ,Maaroof joined neighbor Cohen after cutting his part of the farm.Omar lived byhimself in the rest of the farm,Shahnaz and Moza divorced him and he married to kadija and had 15 kids.
One day Omar was in vacation in his neighbors farm kawaja shahnaz,he saw his
X father in laws Shahnaz basha and Shiek Hamad with izra Cohen having dinner
On the beech in Antalya in Shahnaz farm,they were eating fried fish and drinking Arak,he asked to join them,shahnaz basha refused,he told Omer:خسيس أنتا خسيس انت مابحب اخوك شلون بحب غيرو then shahnaz ate a fish and was laughing and asked Omer to come and have the bone.Omer got upset,he had his brother phon numbers,he started to call them to try to apologize,he called Tony in neitherland his son answered him in dutch,he called Barazan in kurdsorstan,his dtr answered in Kurdish,he called Ali in Alawstan,his dtr zahra answered he could’t hear her their was aloud music and Ali Aldek wad singing حوشي جيجاتك حوشي…he cried and felt really bad for what he has done to his family…he sat down in the restaurant and ordered a big bottle of arak…he kept drinking none stop..the next morning in Shahnaz farm they found a dead body for a Syrian tourist on the highway next to the restaurant ,shahnaz basha anounced that shahnazeztan will provide the proper burial,Angilina Julie attended the funeral…
Isra paid Shahnaz basha and Shiek Hamad their fees for killing the love and the family.

To MDS( mood disorder syndrome)CRY ME A RIVER.
The Self-described“bozos”Opposition!?who wants to be on the side end of Sunni suicide’s spectrum,be my guest
you all can,t be depended on combined to fix me a omelette dish made from beaten eggs,,,yes you all are Cheez Whiz
according to my auntie Geez Louise.
the score is:regime one/1…..oppos“bozos”big rounded Zero/0

I googled Benazir Buttho and found no pictures of infatuation/ adoration. It would be interesting to compare. I saw similar images in Libya where people worshiping Uncle Quaddafi but found nothing in Pakistan. Do you have any to share?

Also, you did not tell me if you like zeit wa zaatar. Am I the only one who likes it?

It actually confirms what I posted that there is a decrease in the reserves as for the rest of the news, they are fantastic with people putting back their money in the banks and having a voluntary effort to support the pound and that the investments are back flowing into the economy.

I am also Napoleon Bonaparte; and US citizens are waiting in line daily at the Syrian Embassy to emigrate and China is buying Syrian Treasury Bonds and Obligations and the drought that afflicted NE Syria is Zionist Salafi American Turkish Kyrgyz Somali South African Brazilian conspiracy.

You think they are planning a large scale “surgical operation” to put the dissent off once and for all In Homs, similar to Daraa and Jisr al Shoughour? Regime supporters were boasting about ” cleaned” Daraa, Jisr and Banias the other day. Do you think they would be able to do that in Homs?

Weekend violence in Homs reportedly stemmed from tensions between Sunnis and Alawites. Some activists say the government is intentionally stirring up sectarian fighting.

A weekend of fatal sectarian clashes in the Syrian city of Homs was followed by a military operation last night that increased the city’s death toll by at least 10.

The clashes between Sunnis and its Alawites, a minority sect that includes the Assad family, threaten the mostly nonviolent nature of the antigovernment uprising that began in March.

But activists argue that the regime is intentionally trying to incite sectarian fighting in hopes that the threat of further clashes would cause Syrians to turn toward the regime as a guarantor of stability, Bloomberg reports. The government has repeatedly blamed the violence on religious extremists and foreign saboteurs trying to stir up sectarian strife – something the repressive regime has kept a lid on for decades.

Think you know the Middle East? Take our geography quiz.

Ammar Qurabi, head of the National Organization for Human Rights in Syria, told Bloomberg that Shabeeha, a group of gunmen with close ties to the government, entered Homs on Monday night and have “tried to foment divisions between the Alawites and the Sunnis, and between Muslims and Christians.”

“There is no sectarian fighting,” he said. “The government is trying to promote tension to legitimize the use and entry of its army into all areas.”

The Local Coordination Committees, the largest activist group, issued a statement, saying “The games and dirty practices of the regime in order to incite a sectarian fight to divide the citizens of (Homs) won’t work … We reaffirm the peaceful nature of the revolution,” according to The Washington Post.

The Syrian government has long blamed almost all of the protests on what it calls “armed gangs,” and repeatedly warns that continued unrest could lead to civil war. Democracy activists accuse the government of promoting sectarian tensions in order to justify the brutal tactics used to suppress protests, and to dissuade the international community from backing the protesters’ demands for Assad’s fall.

The Army first entered Homs, one of the most consistently defiant cities in the uprising, about two months ago. Reports about the number of people who died in the weekend fighting range from as many as 30 (Associated Press) to as few as seven (Bloomberg). Activists in Homs rejected the higher death toll.

According to The Washington Post’s account, the weekend violence began when a group of Alawites surrounded a Sunni mosque in Homs on Friday, chanting anti-Sunni slogans. In response, Sunnis abducted three Alawites and killed them, prompting a looting and burning of Sunni shops. Sunnis and Alawites who were the minority in their neighborhoods have fled to other parts of the city where their religious is dominant.

The Guardian reports that the opposition has been criticized for downplaying the tension between Syria’s Sunni majority and Alawite minority. While the movement, until this weekend, was nonsectarian and peaceful, some activists admitted to the Guardian that it has been challenging to “keep it that way.”

The task has been particularly difficult in mixed cities such as Homs and in cities along the coast, “the heart of the Alawi homeland,” the Guardian notes. Homs is the most religiously mixed city in Syria. The Assad regime has tried to rally support among ambivalent Alawites by warning them that they will be in danger if the Alawite regime falls.

Well I’m thankful that the majority of Syrian don’t want a sectarian conflict, and want to improve their country. We do agree on how, and who obviously, but at least it’s common ground.

I really see no way how this regime, at least in it’s present form could ever be viable to lead Syria again. So many people have turned against it, it has lost so many friends in the region and around the world, that it’s legitimacy is greatly reduced. It’s like a blind captain trying to sail his ship through a violent storm, he’s going to crash into the rocks. That’s where Syria is headed unless we find a solution fast.

In my opinion the solution is pull the mukhabarat out of cities, allow people to protest peacefully, introduce the political parties bill very soon, allow the opposition to form proper independent parties, and set free and fair elections which are monitored by international organizations against any fraud.

Meanwhile, more and more intellectuals are joining the revolution.
Mohamad Osso, a much loved and respected actor/producer joins in anti regime protests in Rikn el Deen Damascus. You might know him as “Kasmo” from a character he once played.

Tara @252 Good question. And it’s impossible in Homs. Dar’a has not been “cleaned”, people have been demonstrating at the Omari mosque since Friday, and before that even in Dar’a Al Balad, the part that suffered the most under the siege.

Jisr Al Shoghour is a small village, and it took tens of thousands of troops to subdue it.

I am familiar with the regime’s efforts in Telkelakh. It is surrounded by Alawite villages from which the regime can draw on manpower to fill its shabiha ranks, and the security forces have been in it for two months. Yet every night there are takbers, and every Friday there are short demonstrations.

When the 4th Division went into Dara’a, the rank and file Syrian soldier was quite naive about events. Now, a similar operation would run the risk of causing defections in the army ranks, just as we saw happen in Abu Kamal.

The regime’s only hope in Homs has been to take on each neighborhood by itself. In 4 months, that strategy has been an abysmal failure. Baba Amr was shelled, invaded and surrounded numerous times, but a week hasn’t gone by when there haven’t been demonstrations there, both at night and on Fridays.

If this were a game, the regime would be losing in added time. Its only solution has been to try to change the game; instead of a Friday-to-Friday series of demonstrations (which the longer they go on, the more hopeless it looks for the regime), it now wants to change the situation into an all out sectarian war.

It has truly been a testament to the Syrian people that in four months, no sectarian violence has taken place, until this week’s blatant and barbaric attacks by the regime’s shabiha. What we are seeing is a desperate, gasping attempt by a regime on life support to extract itself by sacrificing the rest of the country.

I am so much disgusted by Damascus proper. What for god- sake are they doing? Sleeping? Busy in sayrans and cook- outs? And all these soaps about nakhwa an shahama were just TV drama? They are merchant class and they will remain merchant class? Nothing more. Their loyalty is only to their greed. Shame.

#263 Same in Halab, the people here make me sick. A merchant said to me today “as long as my “souk” is doing fine, I don’t give a crap about anything”. Seems the only thing to get those pansy over fed rich bastards in Aleppo and Damascus to act is to hit them where it huts, in their pockets.

I am so much disgusted by Damascus proper. What for god- sake are they doing? Sleeping? Busy in sirens and cook- outs? And all these soaps about nakhwa an shahama were just TV drama? They are merchant class and they will remain merchant class? Nothing more. Their loyalty is only to their greed. Shame. ”

“264. aboali said:

#263 Same in Halab, the people here make me sick. A merchant said to me today “as long as my “souk” is doing fine, I don’t give a crap about anything”. Seems the only thing to get those pansy over fed rich bastards in Aleppo and Damascus to act is to hit them where it huts, in their pockets. ”

I thought this (7erak sh3bi) is supposed to be democratic (join us if you like, not join us you greedy coward!!)

from my point of view, the new revolutionaires are just a mutant clones of the regime (the way George W. Bush put it: “with us or against us”)

Tara, well now, we have to remember that in Damascus and Aleppo, the security presence is such there that people can still be picked up for just talking about politics. I read an article in the BBC where a Damascus hotel owner considered it risky just to have the TV on Al-Jazeera. That isn’t the case in Homs anymore, and hasn’t been for a long time.

In Homs, there are strong neighborhood ties that makes it easier for them to protect themselves. But even then, the suburbs around Damascus have been consistently coming out and demonstrating. They just haven’t been able to coalesce into one large demonstration like they do in Hama. The security forces have no hesitation in massacring dozens of people to keep demonstrations from grouping up.

In Aleppo, I’ve lost count of the number of times university students and lawyers have protested and gotten severely beaten by the regime’s thugs for doing so. In Damascus, the way the regime’s bullies broke up the demonstration of intellectuals and artists was a PR disaster of the worst magnitude for junior.

Each week brings new developments. I’ve always said that the problem with the regime, is that to them these events seem to have been going on forever, but to the opposition, there isn’t the slightest hint of fatigue.

@268 Jad, what kind of a president would inform the chief of the Arab League, and neglect to inform his own people? Don’t you think with the current state of things, such news would be very welcome to Syrians?

It’s because that pathetic buffoon just wants an excuse not to criticize junior. Free and fair elections would be the end of the Baathists, and junior has no intentions of allowing such a calamity. International election observers might as well be the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse.

“You can read the words of that great “democrat”, Thomas Jefferson, on manifest destiny. Manifest destiny that the Sunnis will take over Syria.”

Thomas Jefferson converted to wahhabism?

Keep acting childish. No, there was a difference between the supposed “ideals” of Jefferson and his actions.

“235. mjabali said:

Mr. Abu Umar:

First, I am not a pro regime. Your labeling anyone who does not agree with your sectarian agenda as pro-regime is a sign of intellectual inability to answer and a limited imagination.”

Who are you kidding? Your words belie this statement. You refuse to acknowledge that many Syrian Sunnis have grievances against your beloved regime because it killed and tortured tens of thousands of their relatives and you already stated you support this brutal crackdown.

“Population growth and using it as a strategy is a harmful ystrategy. Do not give me the Mexican example. Talk to me about the population growth and how you gonna feed or find work for these people in the Middle East, especially in Syria that is the country I was born in.”

How is it a harmful strategy when many groups and sects have used it, not just the Mexicans. And Syria has enough natural resources and land to feed its people.

“AS for you saying that i am bothered by the growing birth rates among Sunnis. YES I am bothered by that because it showed how far the Sunnis are from reality. Where you gonna feed them and how ou gonna find them employment? Where you gonna find them water?”

No, you are bothered by it because you hate Sunnis. Don’t insult my intelligence you hypocrite.

“When I asked you where you gonna feed them you answered the most naive answer of them all: you asked me to “let the Arab leaders give back the trillions they stole.” AS if I am the one controlling their wealth!”

Who said that this was directed to you?

“Mr. Abu Umar it is mostly Sunni Arab leaders we have except for al-Assad and al-Maliki of Iraq.”

And who said I defend them? These “Sunni” Arab leaders were fought and confronted by other Sunnis for their treachery and I’m not surprised you would a defend a traitor like Al-Maliki who rode in on American tanks.

” The Sunni leaders are the ones stealing the wealth and not distributing it: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Qadhafi…etc… (al-Assad family took the wealth of Syria also do not think that I am sparing anyone, I speak the truth and not like you Mr. Abu Umar)”

I don’t need lessons in fake mumaana from you and I condemn all traitors, especially the Sunnis ones. Why don’t you also condemn the treachery of the Alawis who colloborated with the French colonialists including Asad’s grandfather who praised the Zionists and blamed the Palestinians for refusing to become refugees in their own homeland, Assad collaborating with the Americans in Gulf War I, the Shi’ites who rode in on American tanks, etc, then come say your are honest in your criticism.

“As for Ali Ibn Abi Taleb and if he is a war criminal: show me where he committed crimes against humanity and I will label him for your sake as a war criminal.”

He executed those who deified him, he participated in the Islamic conquests, he implemented Shari’a law, he fought in the Ridda wars, etc. I consider Ali a great man, but you seem to hold the Sunnis to a different standard, even Ali did what they did.

“By the way, you and the rest of the Sunnis NEVER answered my question that asks you if you consider the Alawis infidels/Fuffar or not as your hero the WAR CRIMINAL Ibn Taymiyah had issued?”

All classical Islamic scholars consider those who deified Ali to be infidels, not just Ibn Taymiyyah and Ali himself executed those who deified him and all the Sahaba agreed with him. Even the Twelver Shi’as were of this opinion in the past.

“Since you brought Ali Ibn Abi Taleb to the conversation thinking you are bothering me…I will give you some of words of Ali Ibn Abi Taleb so you get mad more:”

Why would I get mad? Ali is innocent of the Alawi sect and he did many things which even opposes the beliefs of the Twelver Shi’a sect like naming his children Abu Bakr and Umar. Ali would be consider a “Wahabi” if he were to come back today.

236. mjabali said:

Go tell the minorities in Syria to practise birth control, then come talk to me.

246. rob daving said:

Will Israel be a democracy when the Palestinians supercede the Zionists in population(which they already have)?

247. Amnesia said:

Tell that to Buti who considers Christians infidels, which is the classical Islamic position. I am not interested in a bogus “liberal” Islam. This doesn’t mean to go kill Christians on the street.

Before you criticize some fellow Syrians for not participating in the demonstrations, perhaps you ought to tell us what sort of protest action have yourself taken, besides writing comments on this blog hiding behind a pseudonym.

I hope that it’s true, but President al Assad needs to announce something soon. He needs to declare some meaningful measures that will give some hope for those of us who want to see a safe exit from this latest ordeal.

Nour,
What I don’t understand is why everybody are so stuck with what Bashar will say as if he is God and any word he says will change everything.
Nothing Bashar says will calm the streets, NOTHING AT ALL, he, with all the respect I have to the presidency of Syria, is part of a system, he doesn’t act by himself, he follows the chain order and to blame or depend on him solely for everything is the most stupid thing anybody can do.
What I want to see is not another speech of promises by anybody, I’m already bored of that, it wont make it for me anymore, what I really want to see is the full implementation of every promise I heard/read.
I’m not buying holding off changes because of the violence in couple neighborhoods in Syria, the government can do both like any other country in the world, if we have 3 extremely volatile provinces we have 11 are still under control, start with those 11 and the rest 3 will follow if they see any real changes regardless how small the changes are.
But to hold the future of the whole country and its 23m citizens as hostage to get rid of couple thousands of killers and thugs is too simple to accept.
We need to see changes, they can start implementing those promises in Damascus and Aleppo today since those two cities are the ‘calmer’ at the moment.
Bring the changes and every city, town and village in Syria will calm down and join the process.
But to wait for some interview, speech or another promise from one person wont work.
The government needs to encourage people to form peaceful groups, political parties and even open salons for discussions so people can have their own plans ready for debate when needed, people need to spread their goals and communicate them to everybody using any communication mean possible and the oppositions need to have some level of national conscious duty and start to realize that they also need to approach the government and start some kind of communication.
Organizing the streets instead of keep using force and bulling everybody is what will solve the conflict. I think!

But don’t count on them my dear friend. Two newspapers were banned yesterday. People who think and talk like you are being arrested by the dozens in Aleppo.

Who is holding the country hostage, who is benefiting from the killers, ever wonder.

The little rat is right Jad. Do you really think that this man’s word can be taken at face value. Just think about it. Presidential election in less than 5 months. So what is the value of the dialog her pretended to call for. Is the Syrian press free, will Aldunya, Syrian TV, his press, and yes dear Jad, the S.N.N you quoted from earlier today, to my shock, stop inciting people.

The smartest interpretation I read about the despicable party rallies his sycophants held two days ago was that what they really wanted to do is to widen the gap and increase the isolation of Damascus and Aleppo, through the theater of absurd antagonism, and the rest of the country. It seems to be working, as you can see from TARA and Aboud’s comments. This is sinister, and you should hold this criminal regime and its head accountable, and sorry my dear friend instead of giving them one more outlet for their filthy propaganda on Syria Comment by cutting and pasting their incitement.

I like you man, I really do, and I never lost hope in your goodness. No matter where you head, I will still like you.

Jad @ 274 Makes sense, except the part about junior not being responsible. He is. He should have exerted leadership early on.

He is supposed to be the country’s president, but you’d have us go back to the early myth that he is a reformer shackled by hard liners. Rubbish. Who are these hard liners supposed to be? How can they hold a president prisoner to their agenda? Why doesn’t he have the balls to confront them head on instead of letting the country burn? He’s either incompetent, or a coward. Either way, Syria deserves better.

“Almost there,…..”
Am I going to be fully there when I agree 100% with you?
What message is that? Really!!
You managed to do it OTW, you managed to make me loos hope, Thank you!
Leaving for today, enjoy the rest of SC no-brainer dialogue my friend.

[…] sympathetic to the regime than most, quotes the semi-official al-Watan newspaper as claiming that “situation was back to normal” in Hama.It says: “The efforts the new governor of Hama has made with civic leaders have borne […]

I told you about my stance and I always try to speak the truth. I see the issues the Sunnis has with al-Assad. I am pro democracy and pro justice. But, also, I am a Syrian who is sick of this violence that is taking place and the sectarian violence that is threatening to come with the likes like you mr. Abu Umar. I am not a sectarian and here is the difference between you and I. I believe in equal rights to all protected by the law. You do not. Your law is your Sharia law that does not accept any minority and respects no one as usual.

Do you have the courage to ask your Sheikhs to issue Fatawi making minorities equal to you. No. Modern Law can do this and guarantee the equality for all.

This is the difference between you and I mr. Abu Umar.

AS for your claims about Zionism and Imperialism and all of this nonsense; I am pro America from day one. I like Capitalism and free market plus liberal ideas and secularism. I am not interested into talking about America and Israel and conspiracies, instead I am in love of the success of America and care less about Israel. Israel does not threaten me as much as the Salafi goons running around on horses. I want peace and human rights and a chance to live.

Of course I want birth control among Sunnis and everyone else. You told me to talk to the minorities about that issue, and I tell you that yes we will talk to them, but can you talk to any Sunni sheikh about this taboo subject?

plus, you said that your sunni religious sheikhs consider every one who deify Ali to be infedel, and that should be killed of course according to the same religious figures, here we have a question: Who are you and your Sunni Clerics to deem one worthy of getting killed or not? Who put you in this position, and are these Sunni Sheikhs like al-Zughbi for instance, liable by law to be brought for justice?

AS for your stories about Ali ibn Abi Taleb: I tell you that I care less because I am living in this moment and by the laws of this moment and if he had killed innocent people so he loses points on my scale. I do not follow any religious figures or care about them. I want them not to care about me too.

What is the future of minorities in your book Abu Umar; would you care to explain?

I can read your frustration. No, not when you agree with me, but when you agree with yourself. The turning point for me was when I found that doing one thing was really inconsistent with my life story. I do not care whether this point takes you exactly in the opposite direction it took me. But we are at a point where neutrality towards the regime is impossible. Strangely enough, neutrality towards the opposition, especially organized opposition is still possible, and in fact, I am finding it easier now to even be critical of many in the opposition as I have been doing recently. Why? because for once in my adult life, which as you know is reasonably long, I am facing competing ideas, behaviors, personalities, and approaches. This is even before any one starts to talk about their economic, social, or environmental plan for Syria. This is why I told Tara not to be depressed by disappointment.

Those young people the regime is trying to paint as criminals have done every Syrian a tremendous service. We can now think about a future of Syria within our lifetime where we are not hostages to real and perceived conspiracies. Where we do not have to blame zionism, bush, obama, AIPAC, KSA, Qatar, or anyone else but ourselves and our leaders for our ills and where we can try to address these ills. Will conspiracies stop, heck no. Every single businessman conspires against his competitors, everyone will work for their own interests, and the job of leaders is to put together a package where the synergy of the interest of a individuals are directed in the interests of the long-term survival, continuing progress and prosperity, and ever increasing quality of life of the average citizen in the nation.

Am i happy with the religious undercurrent of the uprising, not really, Am i happy with the fact that so far, very important communities within the Syrian mosaic continue to believe that the fall of the regime will end in their massacre, no. But I trust Syrians, as a collective. Matter of fact, I trust every nation as a collective, but when hypernationalism takes hold, and personality cult substitutes for love of ones country, i get worried, really really worried.

I like you, and whether you are angry at me or not, I am not angry at anyone. I am not angry even at Bashar al-Asad, and my conviction of his incapacity has nothing to do with hate, and is not scientific, it is rooted in history. I am with the winners, and history has shown over a 100 years of progress for democratic nations who is the winner. Don’t believe me, just go visit Latin America, who forced the US to finally accept its independence, not through militant struggle but through non-violent political movements, general strikes, demonstrations, even while death squads as well as revolutionary militias were killing people by the thousands and upper middle and upper classes were squarely in the pocket of the dictatorial regimes. This is much like what those young Syrians are trying to do, not every Friday now, but almosy every day and every night. And not seeing the similarities, despite of the other differences is in my opinion demeaning to Syrians.

As a great man once said, there is nothing to fear but fear itself. I would add that our hopes are ours, no one dashes them but us, and no one keeps them alive but us.

Side Note:
Speaking of democratic nations, Pakistan, with all its problem, Just appointed the first woman Minister of Foreign Affairs. A remarkable young woman. I wish the same for Syria. Bangladesh, another nascent democratic country, not only managed to curb its runway train population growth, but has a woman prime minister as well.

My heroes in Syria today are the young Syrians who protested for freedom and dignity but did not use violence or sectarian hatred. A statue for those brave Syrians who made us proud must replace pictures of Bashar who so far has provided little to Syria.
Hate does not exist in my dictionary when it comes to fellow Syrians ..
(back to waiting with my Syrian tea)

In Aleppo this evening, 20 people were arrested without charge or cause. It is these kind of random terror tactics that the regime thinks will keep the rest of Aleppo subdued. Among the names;

Lawrence Khalil (yep, the world’s first Christian Salafi.)
Three people called “Mohamed Al Haj”. (“Hey, which one is the Mohamed Al- Haj that we are after? Ah heck, arrest all three just to be sure)
عمر شعبان and عمير شعبان See, if you are unlucky enough to have a name that’s just one letter that’s different from someone else, you both get taken in.

OTW
Nice comment but i think it is just dreams,what we all are stepping on and trying to hide is few things:
1- Revenge:it is in so many peoples mind,like abo umer.in fact MANY of the Hamah’s demonstrators (I think most of them)are kids or relatives of Hama’s massacr.so revenge will lead to killing which will lead to more revenge and so forth.
2-Lack of education:so many of hot spots are from people which are not educated which can be turned into any shape by manipulators.if have been to jisr alshoghor or Albokamal or ….I don’t think it is unusual to see kids selling gum and smoking sigarettes.
3-Extremists:you mentioned that,but it is in the viens of this movement…watch qatana’s Amir on his horse.
If you think about Syria 2010 and Syria 2012 I am not sure which one will be better.and if you talk about long term I am not sure if ther will be Syria 2015 or 2020…or if it will be syrias.

Jad,I owe you a response despite the fact that I am disgusted and depressed 🙂
My problem with Bashar started in 2000 not on March 18th,but now after seeing his failed leadership and weakness,I am convinced that he must go especially after being informed that he was never in charge and he still is not,however,he is still responsible.
March 8th should be removed as national holiday and replaced by March 18th but that is up to the next president,or king 🙂 , to do. What Bashar will say in the next three to four days will have symbolic significance but most Syrians will not believe him,they will believe what they see on the ground. The opposition is yet to make me comfortable that I can give them my neck,and I realize more than ever that our so-called opposition is more of a problem than a solution until they succeed in engaging Syrian youth and clean their house which has been tainted by sectarianism,hunger for power at any cost,lack of vision and the use of violence by some who fight under their flag. Even al-maleh made himself look like an uninformed clown when he spoke and acted like a “Za’eem”. This was noted even by the EU parliament when they talked to him on July 13th and one rep thought he was a “Scharlatan” (دجال). We deserve a better president, a better government and a better opposition.
Enough for today..

Dear SNK
You keep living in the nightmare, I chose to work for my dreams.

Dear ABUGHASSAN
I have similar sentiments. I keep asking myself, would we have known about any of the problematic opposition had it not been for the young Syrians who confronted bullets with nothing but their persistent shouts for hurrieh/azadi/freedom.

About your poll, I think it is too broad. Subsidies for fuel, food, higher education, electricity, AND medicine? Is it unreasonable to have different opinions of each, and different opinions on whether to scale them back or increase them immediately or in the long term??

I am not for immediate changes now, but:

1) major subsidies for fuel and electricity always create waste, a bad thing

2) subsidies for food and medicine are necessary in some cases

and 3) subsidies for higher education are probably needed to encourage students to obtain it

Ahmad Sami Aba Zaid, one of the school children who whose arrest and torture started the revolution, is still in prison (assuming he’s still alive. He is 13 years old and his crime was to write anti-government slogans on the walls of his school in Dar’a).

I can’t verify whether he’s still in prison, but we know for a fact that it all started in Dar’a after the arrest of school children, some as young as 10 years old, by the security thugs. Here’s the infamous Rustum Ghazala admitting the arrest of the children:

Please ignore this Abu Umar character. All he’s doing is sidetrack the discussion and try to inject sectarianism. I won’t be be surprised if we later find out that he’s part of the Syria’s pathetic electronic army.

One of the revolution facebook pages is reporting that they received information that the regime’s thugs are going to burn government buildings in Dayr Al Zour, a city in the east of Syria that, just like Hama, has completely slipped out of the regime’s control.

Just posting it here, just in case the regime actually was trying to manufacture a pretext….

And if you have a problem with the credibility of Facebook pages, tell that to Landis, who seems to think nothing of linking to regime sponsored pages for “hard news”

It is unfortunate but true that we Syrians living in Syria have no value to time, things take forever to take place , a skyscraper will take a year or two to build in the US while a five story building in Syria takes years, The president and the government seems to be paralyzed, The president wants the opposition to help plan the future of Syria through dialogue , but they keep refusing, he needs to move to the next step and plan the future without them, Just announce the convention and invite all concerned, whoever comes can have a say and whoever does not can not complain later that he was not invited and like what happened to the Sunni in Iraq when they boycotted the election and the debate about Iraq only to find themselves on the losing side.
about corruption, It seems entrenched in the Syrian way of life and as long as Syrians look at people who do not accept bribes as stupid not honest bribery will continue in Syria, prosecutions and the media can help here but will take a long time.

I noticed I am skipping more and more the comments. Most are vindicative, hateful, sadistic, pessimistic and hysterical. All is about the evil in Bashar and the riches and the innocence of the poor common syrian and the heroism of the protesters.
They all sound more and more like cowboy Bush: “The War against Evil”.
I don’t share such a manichean view, so I am getting bored.
So I am skipping them. Soon I’ll skip it all, I guess

The foreign minister also responded to a question on ongoing revolts in neighboring Syria, whose leadership has so far failed to heed the demands of the people and launch a substantial reform campaign. More than 1,000 civilians have been killed by security forces in recent weeks, resulting in international anger toward Damascus.

“If some of these reforms had been done three months ago, so many lives would not have been lost. If some of the things being done now, such as removing the state of emergency and giving Kurds their identity, had been done in January, there would not have been this much tension,” Davutoğlu said.

Although Turkey sought to be a guide for its neighbor in terms of the reforms, Davutoğlu said Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was continuing to seek more time for reforms.

Suggesting that leaders who resist change or only reform slowly risk losing their ability to persuade as they create tension, Davutoğlu said, “[We are] still expecting the Syrian leadership to lead toward a peaceful transition period.”

“But if they say that they will continue the status quo through oppression if necessary, then serious tensions will be unavoidable. Other factors will come into play. We suggest peaceful changes for both the administration and the opposition,” he said….

Well, one should not underestimate the emotional impact that has rocked our collective conscious. Syrians have never lived this before. This is all brand new to us and all sorts of emotional reaction and even exaggeration are expected. People can say things they do not mean. When some in the past said “let us kill them all” , I never believed it. I just had today an emotional lash out against my own city. It is just very rough. I think it is important to stay on (unless we really bore you to death) so each one of us can hear “the other” and rather moves fron an extreme to a more reasonable central position. Don’t you think?

Man’oucheh bel zaatar every morning? Ah … Now I think very highly of you… I must then break my promise. You must accept a breakfat at Tiffany’s. NYC is not that far after all.

I do believe the international community including the US wants to see peaceful transition in Syria despite Clinton’ declaration that Assad lost his legitimacy and that he is running out of time. The problem is that Bashar has not really done one single thing yet towards the reform and I sometimes doubt that he dose hold the ultimate power.

I just can’t believe that he and all his staff are dumb. I don’t buy ‘they’ll do anything to hang on power’. I don’t buy ‘he is inciting sectarian violence to keep power’. I don’t buy the opposition is peaceful.

I have repeated it enough, and it is clearer everyday. This has nothing to do with ‘democracy and freedom’. That the ‘noble’ facade of it. It is revolution of the ‘have’ and the ‘have not’.
A bread revolution with a nice gift wrap.
Why is the business community in Aleppo and Damascus treated as ‘coward’? because they don’t support the ‘noble’ cause? No, simply because they belong to the ‘have’ and don’t give a damn about freedom and democracy. Not everybody wants to be a hero and loose his assets. Who can blame them? Anyone in their shoes would do exactly the same.

The reforms, when they come, must address first the economical hardship of the people. All the political reforms are just to make this happen. If a multi party system would do better than a single one, that is yet to prove, let it be. Yet when you see the power greed of these x-opposition in Istambul, you wonder if finally the ‘have not’ may not be left empty handed after having given their blood.

The difference I have with you is that you think that Evil is irrevocably embodied in the ‘regime’ and that who ever will come after can only be embodied by the Good. Until now I have not seen the extraordinary, selfless person who can make think this way. After 4 months, all that I have seen are weak, confused, corrupted or lack experience.
The ‘regime’ of Bashar has taken a very tough lesson and may have opened its eyes to its errors, excesses and misjudgements. I give them the benefit of doubt. In view of the void in the opposition, I am encline to believe they are the only one who can realisticly make the changes. I guess the US an Turkey believe that too.
These changes will be ‘socialist’ and ‘arab’ not exactly what the x-opposition in istambul wants. Its a huge challenge and wont happen in a month or two.
Impatience is growing yet Tunisia and Egypt are a good example of how slow and difficult implementing changes are.

Some suggested that Asad puts his name for a national referendum to see if Syrians still want him to be president. Who can guarantee that this referendum will be different from the traditional 99% theatrical shows?
I do not like the idea,I prefer that he sets the stage for free elections and then give his post to a new president,however,I have little faith that he is even able to go that far.
Without a period of calm everything we hope for will be mere fantasies,if the killings and the unrest continues we may be left with two bad outcomes,and the lesser of two evils is a takeover by the army.
M.Habash will launch a new initiative by tomorrow asking for a “third option”,which many of us want and talked about,but how much support this man has? Please educate me about the guy and who are his likely allies.
Guns will not end this crisis,we need political courage and leadership,and none of that has surfaced yet.

No why, that is not the difference between us. I do not believe that whoever will come after, can only be embodied by the good. I am very choosy in regard to who comes after. I certainly do not want shariaa law to tell me how to dress or how to behave, nor do I want a puppet government getting life support from the Saudis or the US. I share exact same concerns you have for life after bashar, and all x opposition meetings had failed to get me tuned in.

Where we lose each other, why, is at least in what I perceive in you as, ” see no evil”‘ and in what you perceive in me as ” seeing evil irrevocably embodied in the regime”. And while, I am willing to assume a more central position, I see you are not willing to do the same as you continue to refuse to acknowledge my grievances.

I ( internal opposition) would be willing to sit and have a dialogue with you ( the regime) provided minimal conditions are met. You want to dialogue without conditions and I want
a dialogue with conditions and there where we differ.

“Sunnis of Lattakia, Banyas and Jableh rose against al-Assad”
“the Alawis came to battle them too”

Really, so its Sunnis vs. Allawis. You are no diffferent of the likes of Abu Umar. When you talk about Alawis, please do not sum them as a united pro Assad.

Your scenario, Assad or a civil war. The protestors’ scenario is Syrian without a civil war, without the Assad Mafia. ”

Mr. NZ. I am just telling you what happened and I am not taking sides. I am more interested into not hearing about the death of my friends: Sunnis, Christians and Alawis. Please read the facts on the streets in Lattakia and the whole coast. I am telling what happened and not interested into anyone’s agenda. I care more about my friends and family. Sorry Mr. N.Z if my words did not come to your liking.

As for you phrase: “Assad or a Civil war” I say we are witnessing now the Assad and a Civil War at the same time. What you call the death of 3000 Syrians so far? A Civil War or not? Wake up…صح النوم

” I see the issues the Sunnis has with al-Assad. I am pro democracy and pro justice. But, also, I am a Syrian who is sick of this violence that is taking place and the sectarian violence that is threatening to come with the likes like you mr. Abu Umar.”

Why is it only sectarian when Sunnis do it but when your Alawite regime stacked with Alawi officers kills tens of thousands of Sunnis, that is not sectarian? Were you sick of the havoc that Syria inflicted on Lebanon?

“I am not a sectarian and here is the difference between you and I.”

No, you are a sectarian and it appears you are of Alawi background.

“I believe in equal rights to all protected by the law. You do not. Your law is your Sharia law that does not accept any minority and respects no one as usual.”

If you believe in equal rights, then why are the forces slaughtering Sunnis overwhelmingly Alawi?

“Do you have the courage to ask your Sheikhs to issue Fatawi making minorities equal to you. No. Modern Law can do this and guarantee the equality for all.”

Go preach to your Iranian and Iraqi allies, then come talk to me. Your Shi’ite allies in Iraq are certainly no liberals.

“AS for your claims about Zionism and Imperialism and all of this nonsense; I am pro America from day one. I like Capitalism and free market plus liberal ideas and secularism. I am not interested into talking about America and Israel and conspiracies, instead I am in love of the success of America and care less about Israel. Israel does not threaten me as much as the Salafi goons running around on horses. I want peace and human rights and a chance to live.”

So you admit that most of the mumaana propaganda is nonsense. Why don’t you proclaim your love of America on Ad-Dunya and Syrian state TV? And look at how you contradict yourself when you yourself used the “American” card exposing your brazen hypocrisy? You hypocritically attack the pro-American Gulf regimes, but when I call you out on your hypocrisy, you say you are pro-American. How pathetic can you get?!

“Of course I want birth control among Sunnis and everyone else. You told me to talk to the minorities about that issue, and I tell you that yes we will talk to them, but can you talk to any Sunni sheikh about this taboo subject?”

Why were the Iraqi Christians in Lebanon, nationalised and given their rights, while the Palestinians are still treated like dirt?

“plus, you said that your sunni religious sheikhs consider every one who deify Ali to be infedel, and that should be killed of course according to the same religious figures,”

Declaring someone an infidel doesn’t mean that they should be killed and before you ask me this question, you should tell my why the lunatic menhebek crowd supports the killing of tens of thousands of Sunnis just so Asad can stay in power. Just like your sympathies are with your group, mine lie with my own.

” here we have a question: Who are you and your Sunni Clerics to deem one worthy of getting killed or not? Who put you in this position, and are these Sunni Sheikhs like al-Zughbi for instance, liable by law to be brought for justice?”

Ask me this question after the Alawis who were involved in the deaths of tens of thousands of Sunnis are brought to justice

“AS for your stories about Ali ibn Abi Taleb: I tell you that I care less because I am living in this moment and by the laws of this moment and if he had killed innocent people so he loses points on my scale. I do not follow any religious figures or care about them. I want them not to care about me too.”

Look at your hypocrisy. Ali was an “Islamic extremist” by your definition, yet you refuse to criticise him because of your Alawi sectarianism.

“What is the future of minorities in your book Abu Umar; would you care to explain?”

Let the Syrians decide that, but the Asad mafia and shabiha scum have already lost and you can join them in the secular paradise of Iran.